The Forgotten Prince and the Disobedient Princess
by EmilyCeciliaMae
Summary: How different would Loki's life be if he had a younger sister, Ella? Someone who he did not have to live in the shadow of, and someone who he could protect and love. She is kind and gentle; so different than their brother Thor who is constantly seeking the spotlight. When Thor is banished after sparking a war, Odin relies on sacrifices from Loki and Ella to unite the warring realm.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter One**

* * *

"You're getting better at this, Ella." my brother Loki said as he expertly wielded his sword in my direction, and I easily fought him off.

"Either that, or you're just getting worse." I joked and tried to tap his side with my own sword. He gracefully moved away from the reach of the weapon and smiled at my joke.

Our father was firmly against me learning to fight in any way possible, but the threat of war being always around the corner, my brother thought it best to teach me ways to defend myself. He would never let me ride into battle with him, as my other brother Thor's friend, the Lady Sif, does. I was to be a good little lady and sit in my bedroom during war, only able to fight if entirely necessary.

I jabbed him on the leg, and the Loki in front of me disappeared in a mist. "The Lord of Mischief runs away?" I said only half joking, glancing around for his presence.

"Only to keep myself safe from the dangerous fighting abilities that, you, my dear sister, possess." he said as he walked up from behind me.

"Do I frighten you?" I asked as I turned around to face him. He looked thoroughly amused at my sly smile and absurd question.

"Very much so." he whispered and I couldn't help but to laugh. The sword in my hand disappeared with a wave of his fingers. He looked up at the clear blue sky. "We must go if we are not to be late for our brother's coronation." He put his arm out for me to take, which I did and he led me into the castle.

"I wish to be late." I said wistfully as we passed guard after guard.

"Why do you wish to be late?" he looked down at me thoughtfully.

"It's going to be loud, and there will be far too many people there all fawning over our brother. He will eat it up. I'm not prepared for such a night, I wish I could be anywhere else than in that hall." We continued walking down the hall, and then up a staircase.

"He is our brother, Ella, and soon to be our King. We must support him, no matter what. I will be there, if that is any consolation for you to come." He looked at me once more and then squeezed my hand that belonged to the arm wrapped through his.

"Oh, I wouldn't miss it for the world. Our father would be furious." I said in a hushed tone, aware that the Allfather had spies everyone inside the castle and out.

Loki, aware of that fact as well, looked around again until he was satisfied that no one untrustworthy had heard us. We reached the door to my room and he kissed my forehead.

"I will see you at the ceremony." he smiled, and I waved at him while he walked off to his own room.

When I entered my maids where all there fretting over my tardiness.

"Ma'am." Ava, my favorite maid, swept towards me and gathered my hands in her own. "We must do this quickly for you must not be late for the ceremony"

"I am sorry, Ava." I apologized because I saw how worried she was. "Loki and I were downstairs."

"How did I know that it was your brother, that distracted you from your duty to Thor, and to the Allfather?" She made a tsk sound and took my training dress off of me, and very quickly put on the light pink gown I was to wear to the coronation.

Silence filled the room as she pinned my long, curly blonde hair half up, and put the necklace my mother had given to me when I turned eighteen on my neck. "Beautiful," Ava said quickly and took my hand to rush me to the door. "You will have to walk quickly, but you will make it." I stood in front of her and she rolled her eyes. "Go, child, before you are late." She pushed me lightly and I smiled as I walked through the door, and with the company of a guard, walked to the hall my brother's coronation was to be held.

The room was decorated lavishly, and I was the last family member to arrive in my place at the foot of the throne my father was sitting on. He didn't look angry, only weary. He was far past due for an Odin's sleep, that would refresh him, but he seemed to want to get Thor's coronation done quickly so he would not have to worry about the Realm in his sleep.

I stood next to Loki who smiled affectionately as he looked down at me. "Beautiful," he whispered and then looked up to our mother who had a strange smile on her face. It must be the stress of watching her son take the thrown.

The Realm had known that it would be Thor who would take the thrown for a long time. Loki could have, if our father had allowed it, but Thor was chosen. Frankly, it was an odd choice in my eyes. Thor could be rash, and had temper that could switch from calm to irate in a flash. He was selfish, and quick to declare battle. Loki was of a cooler temperament. He was gentle, and poised, the opposite of our brother.

I heard grand music and saw my brother appear at the end of the hall holding up his hammer and yelling as the crowd lost their minds with cheers. I stood silently smiling at him while he walked up the aisle looking triumphant. Loki rolled his eyes as a jest and smiled at his brother.

Thor knelt at the base of the thrown and removed his helmet, setting it on the floor. My father recited the oath that Thor would take and asked if Thor agreed. Every time Thor would agree he would get louder and more enthusiastic; yelling to the point where it hurt my ears.

"I now declare you..." my father stopped and looked distantly away. "Frost Giant," he whispered, squinting his eyes.

"What?" I said aloud and Loki swung around to look at me. Thor looked angry, as did Lady Sif and the Warriors Three, Thor's friends.

I heard my father's staff hit the ground and after a few seconds the floor seemed to shake twice.

"Thor, Loki," my father said quickly as he descended off of his thrown and walked down the aisle Thor had just walked up. Thor followed quickly but Loki looked at me once more and cupped my cheek with his hand.

"Stay here and look after mother." He started to follow the men but I held firm his hand.

"Loki, stay with me." I begged. This was as close to a war that I had ever been, and I was frightened.

He turned around and took the side of my face in his hand once more. "Do not be afraid, dear sister. The only ones who should be frightened are the Frost Giants." He kissed my forehead and broke away from my grasp, and then ran off quickly to catch up with Thor and our father.

My mother came behind me and hugged me quickly and tightly.

"Please, Your majesties, come with us," a guard said breaking our bond. They swept us to our rooms to wait to hear about the fate of our family.

What seemed like an eternity later, I saw Ava come into my room, looking as if she had something to tell me.

"Ava," I said quickly as my maid came to my side, and then bowed deeply as she did every time she saw me. I took her shoulders and brought her up.

"There is no time for that," I hissed, knowing that it sounded harsh, and I had never been harsh with her. "What do you know?" I asked her.

"Ava, I heard that you're father has gone to the gate of the Bifrost." she whispered. The Bifrost is the bridge that allows one to travel to other realms.

"Why to the gate, Ava? Have my brothers gone to Jotunheim? Are they in danger?" I pleaded for answers while wringing my hands in nervousness.

"I do not know, my Lady." she said hesitantly, shifting her eyes away from mine.

"I find, dear Ava, that the servants know everything that's going on." I stared at her, silently pleading for her to tell me the truth.

She paused and looked at the door to my room that, on the other side, was the station of my father's guard, sent to protect me by my mother. If he heard something like this, he would be bound to report it to my father.

I sighed and cast a shielding spell over the room, carefully replicating everything my brother Loki had taught me; as we were blessed with the same gifts. "No one can hear us now. Tell me."

"A guard told someone, who then told someone, who then told me that, yes, they went to Jotunheim, and yes, they are in grave danger. You're father went to save them." her words came out forced, but the second she said them I knew them to be truth.

I instantly put on my white cloak, and shielded myself from sight from anyone besides Ava. "Listen carefully, you are to open the door, tell the guard I have gone to sleep, and under no circumstances is he to disturb me. Do you understand?"

She nodded and grabbed a hold of the door handle. I heard her speak to the guard, but I didn't wait around. I simply tore down the hall to the entrance, and then down to the stable. There was a horse waiting for its rider, and I used my royal liberty and took her down the Rainbow Bridge as fast as I could force her to go.

As I arrived, I saw a bright light and a loud sound telling me that the bridge was being opened. I then heard the loud voice of my father, and it frightened me more than anything I've ever heard. I waited outside the door until he burst out and stopped when he saw the horse I had been riding.

"Daughter, why are you here?" he asked quietly but harshly.

"I am here to see the fate of my family." I stated taking his hand in mine.

"Your brother ordered you to stay at the castle. I heard him. How do you disobey him, and in effect me?" He demanded.

"He will understand that I could not stay up in my tower without knowing how he, our brother, and our father fared at battle," I said a little more forcibly than I meant it. He looked down at me with his one eye and smiled.

"Your brother will decide your fate, as he is the one you disobeyed. I know that he will be lenient on you." He smiled a bit at me, then turned away quickly, mounted his horse and rode towards the castle.

I turned around after watching him leave and set my gaze at a slightly wounded Loki standing in front of the gate.

"Sister," he whispered and I advanced quickly on him and hugged him tightly, which he reciprocated.

"Are you hurt?" I asked him when I saw the arm of his armor was damaged. I ran my hand on his arm and felt how cold it was. "You are freezing." I stated with horror, having heard stories of solders dying of cold at Jotunheim.

"I am not hurt, dear sister. Please, let us go to the castle." He took my hand and we started walking hand in hand up the rainbow bridge.

"Wait, where is Thor?" I asked him after I looked behind me and saw no sign of my other brother walking behind me.

"Sister..." he started and he looked down at my feet. I instantly started breathing harder and my heart raced.

"Loki, where is he?" I demanded of my brother. I turned around to go back towards the gate, but Loki, still holding my hand pulled me back to him.

"He is gone. Father has banished him for his decision to go to Jotunheim. He was stubborn and insolent, and father only did what he thought he must." he said.

Hot, wet tears appeared in my eyes and I started crying. Loki, who had always been unable to tolerate me feeling any pain, pulled me to him quickly. I cried into his armor for awhile before I felt him loosening his grip on me. He was tired, too tired to stay here. He needed some sort of medical attention, and some sleep.

"One day, I will bring him back Ella." Loki said into my hair, before he let me go.

"We will bring him back brother." I said. I watched him mount the horse that I had ridden to see them. He helped me up behind him before he steered the horse up the bridge towards the castle.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two**

* * *

It had been a couple of days since Thor had been banished, and I stayed in my room for that entire time, unable to look at my father. The only ones permitted in my room were Loki, who spent almost all of his time with me, and my mother who had spent almost none.

"Your father requests your presence at the gate." Ava said as she swept into my room. "He demands you wear the coronation dress and your cloak." She pulled the dress out of the wardrobe and looked at me, demanding that I would stand up. She dressed me quickly, and I walked wordlessly to the stables where I was put onto a horse and escorted by three guards down the bridge to the gate.

I thought my father's demand was strange. He had never let me go over the bridge to another realm. He said it was much too dangerous for a princess. In all reality, he didn't let me go very far without either him, Thor, or most often Loki. I was a sheltered princess, so this sudden change caused me cautious.

When I got to the gate I saw my mother, looking just as bewildered as I, my father looking angry, and Loki with red, puffy eyes. I was helped off of my horse and I ran to my brother. "What is the matter Loki?" I asked him but he said nothing. He only wrapped his arms around me and buried his face into my hair.

"That's enough. Let us go." my father spat and two guards pushed Loki and I towards the gate a little too roughly for Loki's liking because he jerked away from their hands and walked with me to the gate.

The gatekeeper opened the Bifrost and I felt the oddest sensation flying through the Bifrost. We found ourselves in a cold realm and I looked at Loki who simply said, "Jotunheim".

I shivered and Loki pulled my cloak tighter around me and wrapped his arm around my waist in an attempt to keep me warm.

We walked through a very tenuous path up to the Frost castle. I could see the damage that Loki had described to me after Thor had been banished.

"Why have you come back so soon...Odin." I jumped when I heard the deep, grimy, loud voice that seemed to come from all directions. He said the words slowly and precisely, which made shivers run up and down my spine.

"We have come to negotiate a treaty Laufey." My father said loudly, and with complete authority.

"Speak." Laufey, the Kind of the Frost Giants said.

"Years ago, when Asgard defeated Jotunheim, I took more than the Caske" my father said, and it reminded me of when he used to tell Thor, Loki, and I stories. "We took it for a purpose, to unite our kingdoms." he said.

"What was it?" Laufey asked, sounding angry, like he already knew but didn't want to believe it.

"A baby." As soon as he said it, Loki clenched up. I looked up at him and wrinkled my forehead in confusion.

"A baby?" Laufey said slowly and then realization filled his face. "The forgotten prince."

"Yes, the forgotten and abandoned future king of Jotunheim. I raised him as my own, my own Loki." I froze as my father said the words and stared up at my brother. That's why he was so upset, because of this. Was it a lie? Punishment for going with Thor to battle the Frost Giants. I held onto him ever tighter, not wanting my father to take him away from me.

"Have you come to give him back? A Frost Giant polluted with Asgard morals?" Laufey said. Tears welled up in my eyes as these two men talked of Loki as if he was nothing but a thing to barter with, and they froze on my face as they rolled down my cheek.

"I have come to offer you something much better. A union between our worlds. Your son will marry my daughter, the fair and beautiful Ella. She will bear children, one for the thrown of Jotunheim and one for the thrown of Asgard. Both half Asgardian, half Frost Giant. It will unite our realms forever." As soon as the words were spoken, I froze and then looked at my father like he was crazy. Loki was my brother, I was not marrying him, and even most certainly not having children with him. Loki held onto my arm tightly.

"She is very beautiful." Laufey said and I jumped as he came quickly towards me, propelled forward by ice. He looked at me and then at Loki smirking when he saw how tightly he was holding onto me.

Loki's face turned cold and angry, as if he was ready to kill this King if the chance presented itself.

"Will this end our feud?" Laufey asked as he left the spot right in front of Loki and I, and walked towards my father and mother. "May we have the Casket back?"

"When we give you the future king of Jotunheim, we will send with it, the Casket." My father said like it was obvious. I, feeling my heart hurt so much, buried my face into Loki's chest, where he held even more tightly to me.

"They will live on Asgard. I have no need for a forgotten prince, and Asgardian princess," Laufey demanded and my father laughed.

"I would have it no other way, my friend." My father put his hand over his heart.

"Then I accept." Laufey said. "You will understand if I do not attend the wedding myself. I find Asgard, entirely to warm for my liking."

"Of course. We will welcome any diplomat you send to witness the union." My father said bowing to Laufey and turning around to leave. Laufey let us leave and all the while I wondered at my father's cruelty.

The Bifrost opened at my father's command and after we arrived back on Asgard I simply looked at my father with disgust.

"Not here." he commanded and went to mount his horse.

I ran to catch up with my mother, "Mother," I started, as I grabbed her arm. She stopped walking and looked at me, her face riddled with pain.

"Not here!" My father's roaring sent me reeling and Loki walking ahead of me to face him.

"Never speak to her like that." Loki said roughly, more roughly than I had ever heard him speak.

"Son, you will not dis-" my father started but Loki stopped him, coolly.

"I am not your son. You made that obviously clear at Jotunheim." Loki spat.

The Allfather looked at him hard, then mounted his horse and road down the bridge quickly.

I looked at Loki and shook my head at the cruelty of a man, who, only yesterday, called me his little princess.

...

There was a small eating hall down the hall from my father's chambers. My mother, father, Loki and I were sitting at the table none of us looking at each other, all of us angry.

"It is for the good of the realm, daughter. You must understand, your sacrifice will save countless lives." My father said, trying his best to sound calm.

"There must be another way. You would not be so cruel as to make your only daughter marry her brother." I pleded, not sounding calm at all.

"Again, he is not really your brother. He was taken from the Frost Giants when he was an infant. He is of no relation to you, my princess." my father implored. He banged his hands on the table for emphasis.

"We were raised as siblings. Blood means nothing here!" I yelled and stood up from my chair.

My father stood up and roared, "You weren't supposed to be!" He looked at Loki, "You were supposed to be raised secretly, but she found you. When she was born she cried and cried and the only thing that would calm her down was to be placed in the cradle next to you. I had never seen anything like it, and I couldn't bear to see her unhappy, my little princess." He said this last bit to me. "You will learn to love him. You will forget about your rearing, and you will live a long and happy life, alongside your best friend." He was almost pleading with me.

"I will not do it," I stated bluntly.

"You will, or I will kill him!" He screamed, pointing a large finger at Loki.

I froze and looked at him with a heavy heart, and pure fear. "What?" I breathed, unable to wrap my head around it.

"What use do I have for a stolen prince if not my initial purpose. I will kill him and not think another thing of it if you don't marry him," he said slowly knowing that his words were resonating in my skull.

"Then I won't do it." Loki said as he stood up in defiance. "Kill me, I don't care."

"Then I will kill her." my father smirked. I looked at my father with horror, and Loki did the same before looking at me. "What use do I have for a disobedient princess?" he said. "The only way that you two will ever see each other again alive will be if you obey my orders."

I covered my face with my hands and sat back down.

"I see that you have made your decision." he hissed. "The wedding will be in three days time. You will stay in your room, Princess Ella, and the only people that will be permitted to visit is me, and your...fiancé." I could hear the smile appear in his voice, and knew that he was completely lost.

A guard escorted me to my room but only minutes later there was a knock. I opened the door and saw Loki standing there. "Come in," I murmured. The moment I heard the door shut I turned around and was enveloped into his waiting arms.

"Let him kill me." I whispered. "Live your life the way you want to." I said. He took my chin and made me look into his eyes.

"I will never let anyone harm you. And really, do you really think he would let me live after he kills you? Or vice versa?" he spoke logic as always, and he spoke of his death knowing that any language about it, would cause me to panic. I held onto him a little bit longer, and then let go. We moved to sit on the end of my bed.

"Why are you so concerned about me? It should be me that is more concerned about you." I touched his shoulder and he looked down at his lap.

"Why, because we found that I was a monster." he said. His words hit me like a ton of bricks.

"Monster? I didn't think you were a monster. You are Loki, best friend of Ella." I looked down and saw the shadow on the ground change as he looked towards me.

"No longer brother of Ella?" he asked.

"No, when you become husband of Ella, you can no longer be brother of Ella." I stated. "But I love you no less, Loki." I rested my head on his shoulder and yawned loudly as I suddenly got very tired.

He chuckled a bit, "You are tired," he declared. "Come, you must lay down." He gestured towards the bed and I followed his orders. He took the blanket and tucked it around me, "I will see you first thing tomorrow." he smiled.

"Stay," I said drowsily. I hadn't noticed how tired I was until now, as I felt safe. I knew that sleep would leave the moment he did, and I would feel much safer with him at my side.

He nodded and laid on top of the blankets, letting me rest my head in the crook of his arm. I sighed, and tried not to think of the day's events.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three**

* * *

Loki and I were not able to see each other the whole day before the wedding, and that was probably a good thing, because I spent the whole day in bed crying. The day of my forced wedding, Ava was there to help me get ready, but she didn't say a word to me; she only helped me dress. I knew she had been punished for telling me about my families arrival at the gate days ago. But, for one brief moment, she wiped the tears off my face and gave me a small smile.

My dress was beautiful and my long, curly blonde hair was half pinned up and half loose, with flowers woven in it. I stared at my reflection and tried to find some remnant of who I was a week ago.

"It's time," Ava said from behind me, when she set my crown on my head. I nodded and let the guard walk me to the wedding. The hall it was taking place in was the same hall that Thor's would-be coronation was held, and now, instead of joy at my brother's accomplishment, I was being forced to marry Loki, who had been my brother the last time I was in this hall.

I don't think that they could have fit one more person in this room. They were all packed together, and all of them were talking quietly to each other, whispering of the cruel truth being paraded in front of them. I looked to the front before the music started and saw my sham of a family. My father, sitting in his thrown smiling at this "joyous" occasion, my mother, beside him beside him tenderly smoothing his cloak, and Loki, standing there, looking at the ground, clad in his green dress uniform, and his gold horned helmet.

The music started and Loki looked up from the ground and then down the aisle. When he saw me he made a face, and then he smiled. I looked down to the ground to smile but tears welled up in my eyes instead. I looked back up knowing that Loki would want me to be brave.

I walked down the aisle and ignored the hushed whispers from the crowd. When I arrived in front of Loki, he took my hand in his. I looked up at him and chuckled through the tears.

"What?" he whispered, smiling back at me.

"Your helmet. You know that I can't take you seriously when you wear that." I grinned and he reached up to wipe the tears from below my eyes before my father stepped up and spoke to the crowd.

"We are here to celebrate the union of two great realms, Asgard and Jotunheim. Ella, daughter of Odin, and Loki, son of Laufey, please join hands." I teared up again when he said this and I realized that it was all real. Loki took my hands in his and bent his head so he could look at my face.

I looked up and stared at him the entire time, still crying the whole time. My father spoke and I didn't answer until Loki squeezed my hands as a reminder. "Yes," I said quickly and he laughed a bit. How joyous of an occasion could this be; with the bride crying sad, angry tears, through her whole wedding ceremony.

"I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride," My father said and I panicked at his command. I had forgotten about the end of every wedding I had ever been too. My eyes got wide as Loki leaned in and kissed me on the cheek. He pulled away and I smiled at his cleverness.

"No," was all my father said. He looked up at Loki and Loki closed his eyes. The room was silent and he opened his eyes suddenly and he had a purpose.

"I'm sorry," he said and then quickly kissed me on the mouth. It lasted for a few moments, and I found myself reaching my hand up and touching the side of his face. When he pulled away he looked confused as to what just happened. People cheered and my mother was clapping with a smile on her face. My heart was heavy as I held onto Loki's hand and walked back down the aisle.

* * *

Family and friends packed the hall where the wedding feast was held. My father laughed with his friends after he escorted the Jotunheim representative back to the Bifrost. A passerby never would have thought that he had just married his only daughter to her fake brother. I sat at the table with Loki who ate a little and watched as other's danced.

My mother came to sit next to me, under the warning glances of my father.

"How are you dear?" she asked me, but glanced at Loki who watched her carefully ready to step in for me at any moment. She smiled at him to assure him that she meant no harm. It was strange to see this exchange when a week ago I saw them laughing at dinner and hugging before leaving to go their separate ways. Now they could barely look at each other.

"I'm fine mother," I said dismissively. She was the second to last person I wanted to talk to right now. She had not uttered a word, at least in front of me, in defense of Loki or I, her daughter, whom she had given birth too.

"I always had a much different idea of how your wedding would go," she said wistfully. She looked at me like she could read my thoughts as she spoke. If only she could.

"What? You didn't imagine me marrying my brother? That wasn't in the master plan for realm peace?" I half said, half spat. She looked hurt by my comment, but not nearly as hurt as I felt. She hadn't had to kiss her brother in front of thousands of people.

"That was never the plan sweetheart," she cooed, but I stopped her.

"Not your plan, maybe, but someone's. Let me ask you something though, did everyone know but us?" I crassly asked her. She looked at me as if she didn't want to say anything. "Tell me mother, did everyone in the realm know the Loki wasn't really your child? It must have raised suspicion that you suddenly had another child without any warning, and right as your husband's mighty forces came back after almost destroying Jotunheim? How strange. Were we the only ones who didn't know?" I was angry, and she looked more and more frightened as I spoke, my voice getting louder as I spoke. I felt Loki's hand on my back, warning me to calm down.

"We wanted to keep it secret because it would make me a bigger target than I already was, for spies and assassins. People must have had their suspicions, but no one said anything." She took my hand and I pulled away from her grasp.

"Daughter, you will learn to love him if you try," she breathed and I turned around and closed my eyes until she stood up and walked away.

Loki lifted my chin and I opened my eyes to look into his. "Come," he whispered to me after he sipped a bit of wine after the dishes and leftover food had been taken from our table. I stood up and followed him to where people were dancing, and he took me by the waist and began spinning me around the dance floor. I was going fast, which made me smile a small smile that almost hurt my face after the day I had. "There is it," he whispered into my ear.

"What?" I asked unable to think of what he found out there on the floor.

"All I wanted to do was make you smile after such a day of tears. Your pain is my own, love," he said quietly and I shook my head at his new name for me. This was all coming too quickly.

"I am just tired," I said quietly as I spun around in his arms.

"We can go," he said and looked to the door but still swaying me back and forth. "I'll take you to your room to rest. We've spent enough time here for father's liking." He froze realizing what he had called Odin.

"Let's go," I whispered, stopping the dance suddenly, taking his hand and pulling him to the hallway. I had no wish to continue this charade. My father's eyes on us as we walked, and so were everyone else's. If Loki noticed, he didn't let me know it.

We walked in silence to my room and he followed me in to make sure that I was settled.

"Are you really doing alright?" He asked me seriously as he sat on the edge of my bed.

"What, you didn't think my crying the entire day didn't scream that I was fine?" I said sarcastically. "Yeah, I guess I'm fine. It's done." I pulled the blanket back on the bed and sat down to take the flowers out of my hair.

"You don't have to pretend with me." He whispered as he sat next to me. He pulled a flower out of my hair and set it on the bed.

"I'm awfully sad, Loki. Not for myself really, but for you." I found another flower and as I tried to yank it out, it pulled my hair painfully, causing me to gasp. Loki to put his cool hands over mine and pulled the flower out with no pain.

"Why are you sad for me?" He asked, concerned, as he took another flower out.

"Because you've done nothing, Loki. You didn't ask for any of this," I sighed.

"And you did? I'm flattered Ella," he said with a tinge sarcasm.

"Not at all, Loki, but you were stolen. You don't belong to this mess like I am," I said quietly. He froze and his hands dropped to his side.

"Why do you belong to this mess?" He tilted his head so that he could look at my face, that was staring at my lap.

"I've not followed Father's rules. I've learned to fight, and I've snuck around the realm. This is my punishment," I whispered, believing every word.

"This is my punishment, Ella," he said. He pulled my face up to look at him. "Look at me when I tell you this. Thor was punished for defying father. But I defied him, too. I went as well, and he couldn't throw me to Earth, banished as a forgotten prince, because I already was one, and I was useful. I pulled you into my mess, because if I had fought Thor, if I had instead went straight to Odin and told him of Thor's plans, then I would still be your brother and you my sister, ignorant of the truth." He insisted his fault, but I pushed it away. "Listen to me," he demanded when he saw that I had dismissed his speech. "Even if I hadn't been part of this mess, even if I had survived the battle, and grew up in Jotunheim as prince, I think war was inevitable between these two uneasy realms. Thor would have probably done the same thing, and then Odin would have offered you to me anyway, to gain the same end," he stated. "This is my fault and for that I am truly sorry."

"Stop," I said. "Maybe we should just agree that it is no one's fault but his." I knew he would know that I was speaking of my father.

"That sounds good," he said quietly with a smile. He didn't look away until I smiled back at him. "That's a good girl," he said, "I'm going to go to bed. If you need me, you know where I am. Never doubt that I love you." He kissed the side of my head and he went to the door and turned the handle. Nothing happened. He tried again, and again and still the door wouldn't budge.

"What's wrong Loki?" I asked as I stood up and walked towards the door and tried to open it. It wouldn't open even for me. "Why?" I shook my head confused.

"I understand," he said and chuckled a bit.

"I don't. Please, do tell." I said loudly, and he shook his head.

"I will not go into specifics but your father very much wants me to stay in here." He lifted his eyebrows and I felt my face flush with understanding.

"No," I said simply. "He's going to be waiting a very long time for that." I went to my wardrobe and found that half of it held Loki's clothing. "How did they do this, this quickly?" I mused mostly to myself. I yawned deeply, almost hurting, and Loki looked at me with amusement, which I couldn't believe considering the situation.

"You need to go to sleep, Ella," he implored. "I will sleep on the floor." He went to the wardrobe and searched until he found of green pair of pants and white shirt.

"Nonsense, you aren't the type to sleep on the floor. As long as you stay on your side, it'll be fine." I found a nightgown and went to the small washroom connected to my bedroom and changed out of my wedding dress, which I threw on the floor in the corner, unable to care much for it, because of what it represented. I slipped on my nightgown and brushed my hair out.

By the time I was ready, Loki was already changed and laying on top of the covers. I turned down the light and got under the covers, ready to forget the day. We laid there wordlessly, and I listened to his rhythmic breathing.

The thing about silence is that is has the tendency to make you think about things very clearly. I thought about the locked door and the expectations implied by it. We were stuck here, under the watchful and cruel eye of my father. I started breathing hard when I thought about the rest of my life. What would my father make me do? I started to cry as quietly as I could so not to disturb Loki who as far as I knew was asleep.

I was wrong because he scooted closer to me and wrapped his arm around me, which I allowed.

"Shh, Ella. You've nothing to be frightened of. I will never let anything happen to you, do you understand?" he whispered. I nodded and he rested his mouth on the top of my head, and then kissed it before letting me settle beside him.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter Four**

* * *

We spent three long days in my room, reading and talking quietly, but we were worried. When would my father let us out? Loki was losing his mind. He hated being coped up, but he didn't say anything. He constantly kept his composure, for me mostly.

Ava brought our meals into the room silently and as always I leapt up when she entered the room; and of course, as always, the door would not open for me.

"It's not going to work, My Lady. The Allfather has had a Master of Magic seal the room to you and your- Loki." She stopped when she almost said brother.

"A Master of Magic? Who is more of a master than Loki?" I asked her, prying for information. She, as she had done for three days, ignored my inquires. "Please, Ava. We can't stay in here any longer."

"The Allfather wishes for you and your husband to stay in this room until he deems it necessary for you to leave." She curtsied, and left the room without another word.

I groaned and laid down on the bed beside Loki who looked up from the large leather bound book he had been reading for the last few hours.

"Who is more of a master than you?" I asked him and he shrugged and sighed.

"Not trying to sound overly confident, but I don't think there is one." He threw the book on the floor and closed his eyes."I only know of a few that have, even close to my abilities, but none that have exceeded them."

"What are you doing?" I asked him, knowing he was up to something.

"Thinking," he simply stated without opening his eyes.

I stared at him and sighed, then I shielded the room from any person who might want to listen or look in.

Loki made a face and then smiled, "You've shielded the room. I am so proud." His eyes were still closed and I was growing annoyed.

"I learned from the best. Now, tell me what you are thinking about," I demanded from him.

"Where did my meek little sister go?" He finally opened his eyes and smiled at me.

"She died a week ago. I am now your assertive wife," I snapped and wanted to take it back the moment it left my mouth.

He looked startled for a moment at actually hearing the words out loud but he pushed it away. I think we were way past getting upset over mere words describing our situation.

"We've got to get out of Asgard," he whispered as he pushed his own shield over the room.

"What?" I gasped and sat up closer to him, "That's suicide, Loki, and you know it."

He shook his head and sat up. "No. No, it's not. We can leave the realm. We can hide. And if anyone knows how to hide, it's me. I can shield us, and provide for us." He grabbed my hand and leaned forward.

"Where would we go, Loki? Jotunheim?" I said the place as if it was impossible and he shook his head.

"They would never have us there. I've been to Earth, Ella. It can be a new home for us. Odin would never go there. It's much too large for him to find us, especially if we shield ourselves. That's where Thor was banished to. He could help us Ella." he spoke like this was our one and only option, and as he spoke, it made more and more sense to me. Loki grabbed my hand. "He is going to own us here," he continued. "You will have two children; one for Asgard and one for Jotunheim, even if he forces you to. I cannot let that happen. I will die protecting you, even from myself." He stopped talking and I shook my head.

"I'm scared, Loki," I breathed. "He will kill us if he finds us or even finds that we are talking of escape."

He put his hand on the side of my face and wiped away my tears, something that he was being forced to do too often these days. "He won't. I will protect us. As I've told you, you've nothing to be frightened of."

* * *

Another two days were spent in my room, and again, three times a day, Ava came in, spoke to us as little as possible, gave us our meals and left. This time however, Loki had a plan, a plan that I was not happy with, but if it kept Loki and I safe, then I would do it and then take a scalding bath afterwards.

"She's coming," Loki whispered, and I pulled away from him a little. But he held fast to my arm.

"I don't think I can do this," I whispered and he shook his head vigorously. He pulled me closer to his face and whispered, "Ella, you can do anything." He looked into my eyes, and more importantly my pride had been so wounded in the last couple of weeks that I didn't even know if it existed anymore.

"Fine," I whispered before I could change my mind.

We were sitting on the bed, him with a white shirt and blue pants and me still in my nightgown. Right before I heard the door open, Loki kissed me, and kept kissing me. I put my hand on the side of his face, and acted like I was totally into it, instead of screaming on the inside. But as it continued a felt myself ease into it, and relax. I began to enjoy it, and it scared me much more than my father ever could. He seemed to feel it as well, and he continued kissing me until Ava froze at the front door, and then calmly closed the door.

"Oh!" I cried pulling away from him. "Ava," I called, and got up and walked quickly to her side.

"I cannot tell you who sealed you in this room," she said. "But it seems you aren't as miserable as you were yesterday." She smiled a bit and I shook my head.

"Hush, Ava." I demanded and her smile was forced down.

"Ella, you are learning to love him. It will make things much easier for you," she whispered, smiled and left after she turned around and slyly smiled at me again. As soon as I heard her footsteps disappear down the hallway I jumped with excitement.

"I think she believed it," I whispered and ran and jumped on the bed. He smiled and opened his arms for an embrace. I ignored the fact that we had just kissed rather deeply, and that I had conflicted feelings about it.

Loki had concluded that Ava must be my father's spy. He would not allow us away from each other before we conceded to do his bidding. We had to, Loki thought, display such actions of two people who were in love, in order for my father to decide to let us out of my room. Loki believed that Ava would now report his findings to either my father or my mother, and if we kept it up, maybe my father would let us out just long enough for us to find a secret bridge to Earth, and our freedom.

* * *

I was half asleep when the door opened later that night, and Ava came in with our dinner.

"My Lord," she said to Loki who was reclined on the bed with me cuddled up next to him, reading a book. I was too emotionally and mentally tired to move, so I let her think that I was asleep.

"Ava," he said politely as always, looking at her as she carried the tray of food farther into the room.

"Should I wake her for dinner? She must keep her strength. Sickness will not make the Allfather happy," Ava asked after I heard the metal tray being placed on the table next to the bed.

"No, she's not been sleeping well. I think it's best if we let her sleep awhile longer. I will make sure she eats when she wakes," Loki said with reassurance.

"It will get cold, my Lord." she implored.

I felt his arms move, and I heard the deep thud of the heavy book being set on the bedside table.

"Ava, surely a Master of Magic can figure out a way to heat up some food," Loki chuckled. He had a way to make you believe anything he said. I believe, had he not been such a polite, gentle creature, he would make quite the villainous liar.

There was a silence, and I felt the air soften.

"May I ask you a question, Ava?" Loki asked quietly. I knew that she had nodded because he continued with his question. "Did the servants- did they know about me?"

I knew now what his quiet looks and bits of silence were. He was trying to figure something that even he was having trouble figuring out.

"My mother is your mother's chambermaid, my Lord. She witnessed you being brought to the queen after the battle. She was sworn to secrecy, but she told me. She was to watch the new prince, and the fair princess, for signs of friendship. We all saw though, that you two became...the best of friends." There was hesitancy in her voice.

"You were never afraid? I am a monster, but you have never seemed frightened of me," he said gently. His hands were absentmindedly and softly playing with my hair.

"Never. I've heard the stories of the Frost Giants, but you never seemed like the stories my father had told me of them. I was sworn to look after the Princess. I would never have allowed you to be around her alone, had I been afraid you would hurt her." She said this with the utmost of confidence.

"If I may be so bold, my Lord, may I ask you a question now?" There was a pause and she continued. "You love her. Don't you?" She said it as if she already knew of its truth.

"More than I've ever loved anything," he said with conviction. The statement did not help my already conflicted mind concerning him.

There was another telling silence.

"You will never let anything happen to her, yes?" she asked. The moment it came from her mouth I realized that she knew everything we had done was a lie.

Loki knew too. "Upon my life, Ava, I will never let anything happen to her."

"Very well," she said, and moments later I heard the door shut gently. I was still much too tired to move, but my mind was reeling. Ava knew, and I was unsure if she would tell my father of our deception, but I didn't think she would. I didn't know however if she would help us deceive the Allfather.

* * *

The next morning I woke up to an invitation to breakfast with my father, and only my father.

"I'm not going, Loki," I said as I shrugged away his attempt to persuade me. He ignored my shrugs and put his hands on my shoulders.

"Ella, you must go. If our lie is to be believed, you must not act angry with him," he implored. His eye's seemed to bore into mine while he pleaded.

"We don't know if he was even told the lie. Ava might have kept it to herself, because she, herself, didn't believe it," I said to dissuade him, but he kept a hold on my shoulders. He looked down at the floor for a moment and sighed.

"Ella, please, just trust me. Go and lie to him. He will believe it, and we will be free. I would not let you go if I thought there was any chance that he would hurt you, or take you away from me." He patted my cheek and I sighed, unable to deny his logic.

There was no more protest, and an hour later I found myself walking quickly down the hall with a guard. As I passed other guards I felt their eyes dart to me and then away with what I could only imagine were looks of pure guilt. The servants stopped when they saw me, but with one harsh look from the guard who was escorting me, they scattered.

I entered the eating hall, and saw my father sitting at the large table alone, except for the huge plates of food that adorned the table. He stood up when I entered, with a jubilant smile on his face. "My dear Princess!" he roared, and advanced on me quickly. After he enveloped me in a hug and waved the guard off, he pulled my chair out for me.

"How are you, daughter?" he asked after he sat down, and took a sip of juice.

"I'm fine, father," I said as I mustered all my power to smile. What I really wanted to do was scream at him: "How do you think I am doing?" but I held my tongue, knowing what Loki would say to me.

He smiled back and put his hand on top of my hand that was on the table top. I wanted so desperately to pull my hand back, but again I forced a smile.

"And how is Loki?" he asked, surprising me by asking about him. Why did he care?

"Bored." I said choosing to be truthful.

"How can he be bored?" My father asked it with a small smile. He took a huge bite of his breakfast and I tried not to be completely disgusted by both his words and his eating habits.

"There is only so much time you can spend in one room father. Loki has always had an active mind, and the closeness of quarters is only frustrating him." I said as I took a small bite of my breakfast, and wondered if this was what Loki was eating.

"We can probably arrange something; maybe a walk." He took another huge bite. "Your mother misses you."

"And I her." I answered knowing this was the only acceptable answer. I took a drink of juice and pushed down the nausea that was suddenly present.

"Ava says that you two have learned to make the best of your situation." He was making my efforts to quell my nausea that much more futile with his words.

"Yes, father." I lied. This was the purpose of the breakfast, to make him believe that my heart had changed towards Loki, and it had, I was afraid, but not so much right now that I would proudly tell a stranger that he was my husband. It would come, maybe, but right now I was still trying to forget our childhood together.

The breakfast went on much the same way. He seemed triumphant, and he was trustful of Loki and my lie.

He agreed to let us take a walk later tonight, and I was dismissed to my room, to which I practically ran too.

As soon as the guard let me into the room Loki advanced quickly.

"What did he say?" he asked. He took me into a quick hug and then pushed me back to look at me as I spoke.

I pushed a shield around the room, and upon feeling it, Loki pushed his shield around too. I don't think he fully trusted mine, but wouldn't say as much in fear my feelings would be hurt.

"He is letting us take a walk tonight," I said with a huge smile. He smiled just as wide and hugged me tightly.

"I told you that you could do it. We've got to do it tonight, Ella. Escape." He pulled away and started pacing the floor.

He was making me dizzy, and I was emotionally exhausted from the breakfast, so I retreated to my bed and shut my eyes. This plan was moving so quickly, but I knew that soon we would be free.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter Five**

* * *

I walked through the hallway to the corridor with Loki and a guard at my side. I held his hand and he looked at me like I was the only person in the world. The looks that we received from the servants and from the other guards were very different than the looks that I received this morning. They were almost happy for us, I thought.

"The sunset looks beautiful," I said and he nodded when we got out to the stone walkway on the castle grounds. The guard walked silently behind us, and when we got to the farthest spot we were able to walk, I heard a crash. When I turned around I saw Loki standing there and the guard on the ground unconscious. The Loki who was attached to my hand disappeared with a wave of the real Loki's hand.

"Come now," Loki said as he took my hand, which I realized now was never alone these past few days, and we ran to the edge of the castle grounds and went down an alley. We were shielded from sight, but I was still frightened as I ran behind Loki. We came to the end of the alley, and stood before a old, slightly dilapidated shop.

Loki opened the door and after checking that no one was there, he lifted the shield.

"Loki," I heard a male voice behind us say and I jumped.

"Grayson!" Loki said lowly, but with fondness. The two embraced and Grayson's eyes rested on me. "I apologize," Loki said with conviction. "Ella, this is my friend Grayson. He studied alongside me as I developed my skills. Grayson, this is my sister Ella." He gestured to each of us as he spoke.

"You mean your wife, the fair and beautiful Princess of Asgard?" The man said and I coiled back a bit.

"Grayson," Loki warned, as he put his arm around me for comfort.

"I am hurt, Loki, truly, that I wasn't invited to your wedding." The man moved like he was a snake: fluid, and very slowly. He was tall and thin, much like Loki, but he was much more sinister looking. I was frightened of this man, but I took comfort in that Loki was there and seemed to trust him.

"I didn't want to make it more of a spectacle than it already was," Loki stated. He looked out the window to the abandoned street.

"I heard there were many tears from the fair and beautiful Princess." Grayson looked right at me when he said this. "Do tears become you, my Lady?" he asked with a smirk. He was poking fun at me. "But then again, I don't think anything would be unbecoming on you."

"Grayson, this is why we are-" Loki started but Grayson stopped him with a hand held up.

"I know why you are here, Loki. You want me to help you get to Earth," he whispered. "And it is foolish. You don't think that the Allfather will find you there? And if you run, then what? He finds you and then he will do things worse than he's already done." He transformed from a childish boy, to a caring young man in a flash.

"It's the only way I can protect her, Grayson," Loki pleaded. "She will never be happy like this."

"What about you, Loki?" Grayson said just as convincingly. "There are other Jotunheim princes. The Allfather will kill you, and marry her to one of the others, and they will not be as kind, nor as gentle, as you." He looked from Loki down to me.

"You did not tell me that you would be in so much danger, Loki. I would rather live in misery with you, than live in bliss without you," I said, as I looked up to Loki who stroked the back of my head lovingly.

"That is what you worry about, his safety over your own?" Grayson asked me as he looked completely confounded.

"Of course," I said, telling the truth. How was I supposed to worry about myself when, so clearly, the most danger was to my best friend.

Grayson didn't say anything for a moment, after a while he sighed, apparently giving in.

"I will help you, but we must be quick. Once they figure that you are gone, they will come looking here. Come," he commanded and we followed him to the small attic. There were some baubles that he gathered and set around the floor. "I'm going to need your help, Loki. I trust you've studied Earth. It's much different than Asgard."

"How much different?" I asked, confused, and he laughed.

"You'll be lost, my sheltered princess. Everyone knows that you were scarcely allowed to leave the castle, much less go to another realm. Apart from a couple weeks ago when you visited the place of your husband's birth." He smirked a bit and I ignored the comment.

"I've been there several times. We must find Thor before we do anything. He will be the first person Odin looks for." Loki wasn't talking to me, just to Grayson. I had never seen him act to easy around someone other than me and Thor.

The process of opening the portal to Earth was a long process. Twenty minutes into it, I heard yelling down the alley. "They are coming," I whispered. Loki and Grayson were hard at work, and hardly noticed when the door downstairs was broken down. I was terrified, but the two looked confident. Seconds later a strange blue light appeared in the middle of the room.

"We must go, Ella," Loki said quickly and grabbed my hand. "Goodbye, and thank you, old friend," he said to Grayson, who nodded in response. All of a sudden, the world I once knew was gone.

* * *

We found ourselves in what I had read to be a desert. There were strange markings on the sand beneath our feet from where the portal had opened.

A very strange machine approached us and I stepped back and tried to pull Loki back as well but he laughed and held me by him.

"Who are you?" A woman in the clothing that Loki had shown me in my dreams to be Earth clothing spoke to us as she stepped out of the machine. She didn't look frightened, just curious.

"Loki, and this is Ella of Asgard. We are looking for a man who calls himself Thor. Have you any knowledge of his whereabouts?" Loki asked her politely. This degree of civility seemed to take her aback. I wondered about how the people of Earth could be if such simple politeness could startle her.

"This is unbelievable; there are more of you," she said with a smile appearing on her lips. "He's at my lab. I will take you to him, if you'd like." She gestured to the machine creature.

"That is very kind of you, ma'am." Loki said and pulled me to the back of the machine and helped me get into it.

"Put your seat belts on," the woman said after she had entered the machine. She ran her hands around the strange wheel in front of her seat.

"Excuse me?" I asked her. She looked back at me with a look on her face that seemed to suggest she thought me dull.

"This, my dear." Loki said as he reached around me and grabbed a grey band. He pulled it across me and fastened it to something at my side. "This is a car, Ella. This band keeps the people of earth safe."

"How?" I asked puzzled how one small bit of armor could shield the people of earth.

Loki chuckled and pushed the hair out of my eyes. It seems my appearance was a bit disheveled after going through the portal.

In Asgard, Loki and I had spent countless hours talking of Earth as we waited for our chance to escape. He had given me visions and dreams of things he had seen on Earth, so that I wouldn't be completely ignorant of the ways of the humans. I now had a item to attach to the strange word: car.

"Is your realm or whatever, like the Amish?" A girl with long dark hair spoke up from the front of the car.

"What is Amish?" I asked the girl who I had just noticed.

"Never mind," she said as she rolled her eyes.

"Darcy, stop," the woman said with the same tone my mother used when she thought I was doing something I should not have.

"What is your name, kind lady?" I asked the woman who smiled when she heard my speech.

"There is no doubt you are from the same place Thor is from." She laughed again and then said, "Jane Foster."

"Well, Lady Jane, I thank you for taking such good care of my brother. I know that he can be quite difficult at times," I said and she and Darcy laughed.

"Wait, he's your brother?" Darcy said as she turned to look at me quickly. Her sudden movement made me jump.

"Yes." I looked at her, confused that she was just now understanding this.

"So you are a princess? A real princess?" Darcy seemed very excited about this.

"Yes, I am the sole princess of Asgard." I thought her awe was strange. Loki told me they had kings on earth, so why was she so excited to meet one?

"That's so cool. So who are you?" she asked Loki. She gave him a strange look, that made me almost jealous.

"I am Loki, and my origin is of some contention. It's a long story." he said trying his best to be as polite as possible.

"Are you a prince too?" Darcy asked, and Loki chuckled.

"Yes, Lady Darcy, I am. Of that there is no contention." he looked down at my lap and took my hand.

I tried so hard to keep myself calm as we rode the car to the small town we apparently were going to. We stopped in front of a strange building. I waited for further instructions, but didn't need any because Loki released the bond on my seat belt and left the car only to run around the car and open my door. He helped me out and shut the door softly.

"Holy crap," Darcy said, looking at Loki like he was crazy. I was not looking forward to meet the people of earth.

"Sister!" I heard the familiar sound of Thor's yelling.

"Thor!" I yelled and ran in the direction of my brother who enveloped me in a hug so tight I couldn't breathe.

"Brother!" Thor yelled after releasing me. The two former brothers hugged just as tightly as Thor had hugged me. I felt a pang of sadness after realizing that we now had to tell my brother the terrible truth of the events that had transpired during his banishment.

"Brother?" Darcy said as she came up from behind us and looked at Loki incredulously.

"Yes, we've got some talking to do," Loki said to Thor who gestured us into the building with a smile so wide, it hurt my face.

* * *

The building was filled with scientific equipment, much like the types of equipment I've seen on Asgard. There was also a small sitting area, which Jane led us too.

"How is father?" Thor asked, sitting down. "Have you come to bring me home?"

"No," Loki said. "We have not come to bring you home. We have fled from Asgard."

"Fled?" Thor asked, confused. Jane and Darcy both looked between Loki and Thor.

"You missed your sister's wedding," Loki said. It seemed to me that he was trying to accomplish something, although I knew not of what is was. Maybe he was trying to tell Thor he wasn't his brother in the best way possible and telling him of my wedding was the best way to do it.

"What? Ella, what is he talking about?" Thor demanded from me. Darcy sat on the edge of her chair and leaned towards me, anticipating the next part of the story.

"Father made me marry to unite Asgard and Jotunheim. To prevent war." I felt ashamed when I said this, like we were trying to make him feel bad. But in all reality it was his fault this had all happened. Remembering this made me angry with him, but after remembering he was part of the only family I had left, I left it go.

"Who? One of the Jotunheim princes?" Thor thundered. Jane looked frightened, and Darcy looked as if she was completely interested, like an old woman at a market, hearing gossip. "Has he hurt you? I will hunt him down, and slay him were he stands."

"There is no need for that, Thor. She has married a Jotun prince, me." Loki said and he took my hand. Thor looked confused and a bit angry.

"Excuse me?" Thor said even louder, so much that it hurt my ears.

"Yeah, can you clarify because it totally sounds like you just said you married your sister?" Darcy asked.

Loki told Thor the story of what had happened, and throughout the story Thor deflated quite a bit. "Has he lost his mind?" he said speaking of my father in a hushed tone.

"I do not know. He seems to be committed to do whatever he could to save Asgard. Even if that means hurting Ella," Loki said, glancing over at me.

"And you." I added to Loki's statement. It was kind of annoying how he never spoke of his own suffering.

"So you've fled here in hopes of what?" Thor asked.

"To survive not having to obey Odin's every command. He is counting on Ella to have children. She is not prepared for this. We will live here, protect her, and live our lives as people of Earth." Loki said this with complete authority, and for once in his life, Thor nodded and followed orders.

* * *

We were able to sleep in the lab. I slept on the couch, Loki slept next to the couch on a small mattress he conjured and Thor slept outside. I fell asleep early and slept hard, but I had a terrible nightmare.

"Where have you gone, daughter?" my father roared. "We need you." He would say that over and over, and then he found us. He brought us back to Asgard and tortured and killed Loki in front of me. I screamed and jolted awake shaking and in a cold sweat. Loki appeared at my side quicker than I'd ever seen anyone move.

"What's wrong, Ella?" he asked in a panic. He swept my loose hair out of my eyes and cupped my cheek in his palm.

"He found us, Loki. He found us and he killed you in front of me." I was crying and Loki buried my face in his shoulder. He was wearing a t-shirt and a pair of pants Darcy called athletic shorts, all of which he borrowed from Jane, who had male clothing in a dusty box in a closet. But instead of dust they smelled like him. An almost sweet smell that comforted me. He and I could conjure clothing, but only for shorts periods of time. I had borrowed a pair of pajamas from Jane, that didn't cover as much as I was used too.

When I was finished crying he lifted my head and he slid his thumb under my eye to wipe my tears away gently. The room was lit only by a strange light from outside. Loki looked different in his Earth clothes and dim light; not like my brother the Master of Magic adorned in green and gold armor. He looked like my husband, however reluctant, in this light and in these clothes.

He must have thought the same thing because he slowly got closer to my face, and kissed me gently. There was feeling behind it, and it wasn't like the kisses we had shared on Asgard that were forced, no one was watching us now, this was real, and we both wanted it. When it was finished, he pulled back and looked down.

"I'm sorry." he said. He sounded ashamed, and guilty. "I should not have done that."

"Shh, Loki. I think that these past two weeks have changed us." I said. I lifted his head and kissed him again. "I wanted it, too." He was hesitant at first, but after only a moment to convince him I was serious, he kissed me back, deeply. I leaned back so that I was sitting on the couch the way I was supposed to instead of hunched over like before. Loki followed and intertwined his hands into my hair.

I pulled away suddenly, not wanting too. "If Thor sees, he won't understand. Not right now; he hasn't had time to adjust." He looked at me and smiled.

"I don't think I would like his reaction to this," he whispered.

"I think his hammer would," I said. He leaned forward and kissed me again quickly and then disappeared back to his mattress.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter Six**

* * *

"Where are you going to go?" Darcy asked the next morning at breakfast. Thor was helping the Lady Jane make it, and I was amazed. He had never helped with anything like this. He was smitten with this woman.

"To a big city. More people make it easier to hide," Loki said as he drank some orange juice that Thor insisted he try.

"Chicago is nice, and very large," Lady Jane said as she set some eggs onto my plate.

"Thank you," I said and she smiled.

"Firstly, we must go and collect some things. We'll need our own clothing, and a car." Loki took a bite of toast.

"How will you pay for such things brother?" Thor asked. "People of Earth are very touchy about their goods."

"I am a Master of Magic, even on this realm. I will conjure it," Loki said and smiled at me.

"I know not of the fashion of this realm," I said. I was worried that I might attract suspicion from the humans with my dress.

"I'll come with you," Darcy offered from the table. Jane looked petrified.

"No," Jane said, "I will go with you, Darcy you will stay with Eric and help him with the new data." Darcy made a face and sighed.

"Why not? I have good style, and besides, she married! She's not supposed to look good anyway, she can give up! She already snagged him." Darcy seemed content with herself at this comment.

The room grew silent, and everyone's eyes were on me, and I glanced at Loki who had an amused smile playing on his lips.

"I don't think that being forced to marry your brother is snagging him," I laughed as I tried to ease the tension in the room.

"At least he's hot," Darcy said, and Jane shoved her lightly, much like Thor did to Loki in Asgard.

"There is always that," I chuckled and avoided Loki's glances as much as I could, but failed. He looked completely amused.

"That makes me very uncomfortable," Thor said uneasily. Loki stood up and clapped him on the shoulder.

About an hour later Thor, Jane, Loki and I were in Jane's car again driving to a larger town than this one.

"What is this?" I asked Jane quietly while we walked around what she called a mall.

"Those are shorts," Jane answered. She was pretty, this woman whom I could tell my brother fancied. She was graceful and well spoken, but a little rash. So much like my brother. I wondered if she had the same quick temper that Thor possessed.

"There is so little of them. Don't women on Earth want to be covered?" I asked her confused.

"No, they do not. They will show all they can without going to jail for indecent exposure," she laughed.

The rest of the day went by like that, me asking what certain things were, but in the end we filled a black sleek looking car with bags full of clothing. The car very much suited Loki. He was wearing a black well-fitting suit with a white shirt and black tie. He taught me all of the words for the pieces of clothing as he laid them out. In this, as the man who sold it to Loki said, "luxurious automobile" he looked like he could be part of the royalty of Earth.

I couldn't help but to think that he fulfilled what Darcy had said early in the day, that he was extremely attractive. I shook my head as the thought crossed my head. Only two weeks ago, this man had been my brother. We were raised together, and even now, Thor still refused to call him anything but brother. But Loki had not called me sister, nor had I called him brother since the wedding. Things were rapidly changing between us, and it was frightening. What would happen if I suddenly realized that I loved Loki? Would this escape had been for nothing? What about the sacrifices of Ava, or Grayson? Surely they would have been questioned, or maybe worse for their parts in our escape. I pushed this all aside for now, knowing that I was not prepared to think about it. I looked down at myself and realized that I was so far away from the girl I had been at my brother's coronation. I had been innocent of the world, and knew not of the horrors and cruelty that my own father was capable of.

I had found some clothing that didn't make me look like a prostitute, and I had chosen a purple dress that ended right below my knees and had a sash around the waist. Much of the clothing at the store had no sleeves, and even this one had short sleeves, but I would take what I could get. It was a far cry from my wedding dress that had covered even my wrists.

Thor had left with Jane at the car dealership, and when we got back to the lab he came running out to look at the new car.

"Impressive, brother," he roared and ran his hand over the sleek vehicle. I didn't understand the people of earth, particularly the male population's obsession with these vehicles. Loki had spent hours talking to the many men that were courting him to buy the car. Loki didn't care about what kind of sorcery made the thing work, he simply wanted something that would function; and play the part that he had invented for it in his head.

He had been planning our escaped life for days now, and every time he stared off into space I knew he was thinking about his next move. He had decided that we would take the Lady Jane's advice and go to the city of Chicago.

We were sitting in the seating area later that night talking about our plan.

"I don't see how going to such a big city will help you keep her safe, brother. Won't that make it more dangerous for her, having so many people that could harm her?" Thor asked, but Loki shook his head at him. Loki and Thor were very different. Thor had brute strength, which Loki, all-in-all was lacking. But Loki was cunning and clever. He was extremely smart, very much smarter than Thor, who was by no means stupid. Because of his advanced cognitive skills, many things that Loki said were completely lost to Thor.

"So many people will help shield us from Odin. That and we will just be three faces in a sea of people." Loki was insistent that Thor listen carefully.

"Three?" Thor asked, mystified, it seemed that Loki would include him in the plan.

"Are you not coming with us, brother?" I asked Thor. We found him for a purpose. If the Allfather were to come here looking for us, the first person he would seek out would be his banished son, who had no way of shielding himself from Odin's watchful eye.

Thor's eyes went to the Lady Jane, and a wave of understanding crashed over me.

"You do not wish to leave the Lady Jane," I said looking at the lovely woman, who had captivated my brother so quickly. No other woman had been able to take a hold of Thor's heart for more than a couple weeks when we were on Asgard. But this mortal woman had bewitched him so thoroughly that I thought it completely possible for him to chose to stay with her, other than come with us. I did not blame him however. I had never dated anyone, nor had I even met with any boys who were not Thor or Loki. Loki had been my longest lasting, and most fulfilling relationship ever. When I was younger, I often dreamed of a man sweeping me off of my feet, so to speak, and we would live happy for the rest of our days. I knew, however, that my husband would be chosen for me, mostly for a political purpose. I had not thought, that it would be Loki though, but it seems that it was foreshadowed.

Jane's faced turned bright red, and I smiled at her. She was a worthy companion for my brother.

"I do not wish to leave her," Thor proclaimed.

"You don't need to. There was a reason that I offered Chicago up as a solution. I have been offered a position at an observatory there. I can continue my work, and you can be with your family." She was a clever woman, and I liked her.

"Excellent," Loki said, nodding with as wide a smile as he could muster after a long day, and little sleep from the night before.

"So we will go to Chicago and do what, brother?" Thor asked.

"Build a life," Loki said, as if that fact was obvious.

"How? You make it seem like it will be so easy, to change so suddenly. Let us not forget that I don't have possession of my hammer," Thor said.

"You don't?" I asked with alarm.

"When Odin banished him he took his powers away and his hammer as well," Loki said, like he had forgotten. Without his powers, Thor was more of a hindrance than an asset at this point.

"You are no more durable than an Earthling?" I asked Thor, and he nodded his head.

"The hammer is west of here in a field. Jane and I went to get it, but there were Earth government workers around it. I fought my way in, but I could not lift it." Thor seemed sad, and ashamed that he was unable to get back his most prized possession.

"We might have to leave without you then, Thor," Loki said quickly. "The longer we are close to the portal, the closer we are to being caught."

Thor nodded, knowing that this was a very real possibility.

"We don't have to decide right now, do we?" Jane asked, like a beacon of reason.

"No, we can take the night," Loki decided, nodding to Jane, who squeezed Thor's hand and pulled him up.

"We should let them talk, and we can talk about getting your powers back." She pulled him out of the building after calling out a quick goodbye to Loki and I. We exchanged good night's and resumed our sleeping arrangements from last night.

* * *

I had the same nightmare I had the night before, but that wasn't what woke me up. There was crashing coming from the front of the building.

"Loki. Get up." I shook Loki awake, and he jumped up ready to fight.

"What?" he asked me, but stopped talking when he heard a thud and saw Thor fly backwards into the building.

I heard Jane scream and Loki took me by the arm and dragged me to the washroom.

"Stay here until I come and get you." He tried to shut the door, but I protested by putting my foot between the door and the frame.

"Loki, I can help. I am skilled enough to be of some assistance," I pleaded.

"Stay here," he ordered with a stern look and shut the door.

I stayed there for what seemed like an eternity. All I heard were crashes and groans of pain.

"Why have you come here?" I heard Thor's deep voice yell.

"To take the forgotten prince and disobedient princess back to Asgard. They have a duty to fulfill, and the Allfather wishes for them to come and do that duty." The man's voice sounded calm. Surely he was frightened. Thor could not be matched in battle, and Loki was almost just as formidable.

"You will not be taking anyone back to Asgard," Loki's cool voice assured the stranger. I suddenly saw a blue light come from under the door and I stepped back, afraid of letting the light touch me. Moments later Loki opened the door to the washroom and I attacked him with a tight frightened hug as I hugged him.

Suddenly, a strange urge took a hold of me. I grabbed his face and I kissed him, not caring who saw me. He turned me around and pushed me up against the wall that held the door so that Thor could not see us, but he kissed me back. One of his hands wove its way into my loose blonde curls and the other rested on my waist, as he pulled me closer. This lasted for a few moments, and for once I was not ashamed of how I felt. I had realized, as I was sure I was about to lose him, that my feelings had irrevocably changed towards him. Maybe it was a blessing, a way of coping with our situation, but really it was not that far of a jump from our relationship before, to this new one. I was in love with him, and I couldn't make myself stop, even if I wanted too, which as I saw clearly now, I did not.

"I told you that you had nothing to be frightened of," Loki chuckled breathlessly after he pulled away.

"It was not for myself that I worried. I was for you and Thor," I assured him. I had not a doubt in my mind that he would always protect me as long as he was able, but to trust him to take care of himself, that was another thing entirely.

Loki kissed me again quickly, fixed the hair he had messed up and pulled me out of the washroom. I walked to the couch were the Lady Jane was sitting. She looked frightened, and I felt it was my duty to calm her, as Thor was pacing the floor.

"Lady Jane," I said smoothly. I took her hand, which she allowed, and let her sit there for a second and process what had just happened.

"Who was that?" Jane asked, after she finally calmed her breathing. I was amazed that I was so calm during the attack, because I surely had never been involved in something like this, except for the Frost Giant attack, and I doubted she had either.

"That was an agent from Asgard. He was ordered to take my brother and sister back to Asgard," Thor said roughly. He kept pacing and Loki looked at him with concern as he leaned against the couch. He was thinking, I could tell by his face, about our leaving, I was sure.

"You talked about you fleeing, but I didn't think there was an actual threat," Jane said. "I thought that you were just being overly cautious, but that man, he tried to kill me."

Thor let out a growl, and Loki shot him a look of warning.

"Thor, I think tomorrow we should go to the market place and prepare to leave. I've made some calls, and we have a few places we should visit before taking Ella and Jane to Chicago," Loki said with authority. The deeper and deeper we got into this mess, the more and more Loki was able to take charge. He should have been named King. This whole mess would have been prevented had he been named King.

"Who will stay here and protect Jane and Ella?" Thor asked. He had stopped pacing all together.

"We sent the agent to another, desolate realm. He cannot get back to Asgard from there, not without magical abilities, of which, he has none. He came here so suddenly after arriving, and Odin will not expect him back for a couple days. We've got that long to gather our things, and prepare to leave. If he happens to send another, I believe that Ella can fend him off for long enough for us to come and help her," Loki said with utmost faith in me.

"How will you know that we are in trouble?" Jane asked. "Should we call you or something?"

"In the heat of battle, phone calls cannot be made." Thor laughed so loud it sounded like thunder.

I actually knew what phone calls were, and thought it funny to think of making such a call as you were fighting an enemy.

"I will know if Ella is in trouble. We are linked," Loki said and looked down at me. Thor looked up and then at Loki, with a bit of suspicion, but it passed quickly.

"We will go at first light, brother. I am spent," Thor said, and hugged me and Jane tightly before he walked out of the building to where he was sleeping.

"I don't think I'm ever going to be able to sleep again," Jane mused from the seat next to me. She looked more like a little girl in her pajamas and lose hair, than an adult woman. She was curled up on the couch, and I felt for her.

"I have never been in a battle, and the first time I had ever been around danger I almost cried myself to death," I said to try to comfort her, and she did laugh a bit. "There will come a time when you trust the people around you so finitely that you will have no doubt they will protect you." I took a bit of her hair and put it behind her ears. "I will stay up with you, if you would like. I have millions of questions for you about Earth."

She looked up at me and smiled. "I have more questions about your homeland."

"It seems we have a deal. Are we going to keep you from sleeping if we talk, Loki?" I asked him and he bent down to kiss the top of my head.

"Not at all." He nodded to the Lady Jane, and laid down on his mattress.

"Let's move over here, just in case." Jane took my hand and pulled me to the eating area of the Lab. She put some water on the stove to heat.

"What is Asgard like?" Jane asked as she sat at the kitchen table in front of me. "I've heard Thor talk about it like it's heaven, but it seems you have had a much different take on it than he."

I smiled to myself and sighed. "That's because he was the son that always knew he would be king," I laughed.

"So there was no chance that Loki or you would rule?" Jane asked. She pulled her leg up so that her foot was on the seat and her knee was at her chest.

"There was no way that I would ever rule. My job was to get married, to anyone, as we saw, that he chose. Loki, was able to become King, but my father was the one who chose his successor. Loki was the better choice for King. Thor has a temper, and craves battle. He makes bad decisions much too quickly, and the realm doesn't respect him as a ruler, but they love him as a warrior. Loki was not born with brute strength but he is cunning, and wise, kind and gentle, and his temper is far more relaxed than that of Thor's. He was the better choice, but our father always knew he could not have a Frost Giant as King of Asgard," I said quietly, afraid that Thor might hear me.

She nodded and I knew her next question was in her head already, but it seems it was my turn.

"May I tell you something?" I asked her. She smiled and nodded. "I am frightened of this realm. I know practically nothing about anything here. You've so many things we don't have in Asgard, and I find myself wondering at the smallest of objects. I am worried that I will be the one to alert my father's spies to our whereabouts, simply out of ignorance."

"Your father's spies?" Jane asked with concern.

"My father has spies on all of the realms. To watch over them, and keep them in line. They will be looking for us, hence the large city, and shield spells. If I do something stupid, it will cause attention, and that is something, we do not wish." I rested my elbows on the table and put the side of my head in my hand.

"He sounds like a very controlling man," Jane said, almost asking it.

"He was not always like this, at least not out in the open. But when Thor sparked a war with Jotunheim, he did the first thing that he thought of to unite the kingdoms, no matter who it hurt." I heard the disdain in my voice.

"You said that Loki is a Frost Giant. What is that?" Jane asked, her face clearly showing her ignorance.

"Loki was raised in Asgard, he was loved in Asgard, and he is of Asgard. But he was born of Jotun blood, and that technically makes him a Frost Giant. My father said he was very small for a Frost Giant baby, and thus made it very easy to raise him in Asgard. I'm not sure why he's not blue, as all Frost Giants are, but I'm glad he's not. It would be difficult to dress in green if he was. Green is his favorite color, or my mother's, who dressed him, whichever. The point is that he wears an awful lot of it. Theoretically he should be able to control ice, but he is skilled in much different and, in my option, better ways." I smiled as I looked over to the mattress on the floor and saw Loki's head sticking out of the covers.

"You love him very much, don't you?" She said when she saw where my eyes were resting. I averted my glance and looked at her.

"Our relationship is complicated now. It never was before. He was my brother and I his sister. But now, with everything we've been through, I realize that it was just a matter of time before things changed," I said, and shook my head. "Thor is to know none of this. He would be furious if he found that our relationship was anything but siblings," I implored her and she nodded vigorously. "We have, though, always been best friends."

"That's sounds nice," she said wistfully. "Who did he call earlier? And what things must he take care of before we leave?" It was not her turn, but I didn't mind answering her questions. This all must be just as strange to her, as it was to me.

"I do not know. Loki has traveled to many realms, in his studies, and has made many friends who are enlightened about the other realms. It seems to me, to be a good bet, that those friends are who he called," I said, smiling at her.

"You are very normal for being an alien princess," she laughed, and I shook my head at her joke.

"Thank you. I would return the sentiment if I knew what normal was on Earth." We laughed for awhile, and continued like this for the rest of the night. This Jane was a great confidant for me but I wish that I had the courage to ask her of her feelings for my brother.

* * *

"I'm telling you, Ella, he is so cute. It's ridiculous, it really is." Darcy was sitting at the kitchen table eating lunch with me, talking of Loki.

"Will you stop, Darcy? It's getting embarrassing," Jane commented from the kitchen counter.

"No, it's fine. He is very cute," I agreed and then regretted admitting it as soon as I said it.

"Where are the twin hotties from space?" Darcy asked as she threw the last bit of her sandwich down, and looked at the clock.

"I find that men do not run on normal time," I laughed, and Jane nodded with understanding.

We spent the whole day talking, and I learned about all sorts of things of Earth. There was a phone call from Loki who asked Jane to take a photo of me on her phone and send it to a strange number. She did, and I was extremely confused.

We were making dinner when I heard Thor and Loki coming into the lab.

"Sister, Jane, Darcy! How was your day?" Thor bellowed as he came into the room and hugged me. He let go of me and I saw Loki behind him, looking poised and very handsome. I realized as I looked at him, that I had missed him more than I ever had. I walked slowly up to him and made a funny face at him.

"That's cute," he laughed, and he hugged me.

"Did you get everything done you were supposed too?" I asked and he put his arm out for me to take. I did and he walked me to the kitchen, where everyone else was waiting.

"Yes, I've got some things for you, but we'll do it later. I'm famished." He sat at the table and Jane and I served dinner. Ava had taught me how to cook, and serve at table, something that, if my father knew, would be upset.

I sat next to Loki and we ate what Jane had called spaghetti. He and Thor talked about what they had done and it was all very confusing to me. They had to get paperwork for each us, being that there was no record we existed on this realm.

"We are now Loki and Ella Evans hailing from London, England. We are, however, American citizens." Loki tried to explain but I shook my head.

"I don't understand, and I'm not sure I want to," I protested. Loki looked at me and shook his head.

"You are silly," he said with a smile. "But you do have to know some of this stuff. I've got an ID and passport and things for you. You have to have them if we are to fly under the radar, my dear."

I was not used to such things. There was never any doubt of who I was; I was the princess of Asgard, but it seems here I was Ella Evans of a place called London with a husband.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter Seven**

* * *

"Darling, you've got to press this," Loki said over my shoulder, as he ran his figure over the screen of the cell phone he had gotten me that day. When he touched the screen that I could only describe as magical, a list of names popped up. It was a short list, but I saw that there was Loki and Thor, who also had not mastered his device yet.

I got my bag from underneath the end-table and took out my wallet. I slid the ID in the clear pocket and saw that the photo was the photo Jane had taken earlier that day. My passport and other paperwork stayed in the back of the car under Loki's protection.

"Watch this," Loki said. He took his phone out and pressed several buttons. Seconds later my phone buzzed, and I slid my finger over the lock bar.

I read the word "hello" on the screen.

"That's amazing," I cried with astonishment. "You can communicate without your voice."

Loki laughed and looked around at the room. We were alone, and the only light was coming from a lamp on the end-table. I felt the tone turn from the lightheartedness to seriousness.

"Thor is angry with me," he whispered.

"Why?" I looked at the door to make sure Thor could not hear what I was talking about.

"Because I made us husband and wife on the paperwork," he said. He looked down at my hands and then back up at my face. "He doesn't understand why it can't be as it was, before he was banished."

I didn't say anything at first. Not much got past Loki, but this seemed to.

"This is a change for him, too, Loki. Before he was banished, life was one way, and suddenly we appear at his door and tell him that you are not really his brother and you married his sister. You've got to give him time," I said softly. I reached up and stroked his hair. He closed his eyes and sighed.

"This is why I couldn't make us brother and sister, Ella. Because of this, and the other night. We can't explain things like that if we introduce ourselves as brother and sister," he said as he ran his hand over mine.

"Loki," I said and he opened his eyes. A familiar pang of guilt about how I felt towards Loki struck my heart. Last night, when we were attacked and I kissed him, I had thought I was completely resigned to the fact that I loved him. But with Thor's admonishments about Loki's and my relationship, my mind became murky with guilt and confusion.

He noticed my distressed face. "I can make you forget, Ella," Loki said seriously. He shifted himself closer to me.

"What?" I breathed, unable to understand what he meant by making me forget.

"I can make you forget that we were ever brother and sister. I can make it easier for you," he proposed quietly. He took my hand in his and looked straight into my eyes.

"I cannot have you take away my pain when I cannot take away yours. You must think me a very dreadfully selfish girl to offer such a proposition." I smiled to dull the harshness of the statement. I kissed him gently, but only for a moment. It was to get a point across.

When I pulled away and smiled shyly at him he whispered, "I neither think you dreadful or selfish." He kissed me again, this time for much longer, but upon hearing voices outside he kissed my forehead and retreated to his mattress.

I laid down on the couch after I turned the light off and curled up with the blanket over me. Why did I feel like this, so utterly conflicted? I loved him. How could I not after all we had been through? But how do I reconcile myself to the fact that we were seemingly brother and sister for so long? And with Thor shooting Loki and I strange looks when we sat too close to each other or when our eyes lingered on each other for too long, I felt like I was doing something wrong.

* * *

_"Loki!" I cried with excitement when I saw my brother enter the room where my tutor and I stayed for almost the entire day. He and Thor had been away studying in other realms for ages and I had missed them terribly, particularly Loki (Thor didn't have much time or patience to spend much time with his little sister). Loki opened his arms up and smiled as I ran to him while ignoring my tutor's admonishments. _

_"How is my little sister?" he asked in my ear while he hugged me tightly. His hot breath in my ear tickled and I giggled. He pulled a little on the wide blue bow that was clipped in my hair and I made a face at him, but couldn't fake that I was mad at him for long. _

_"Very well now that you've returned." He let me down and I took his hand. "You've got to tell me all about your travels," I implored him as I tried to drag him to the hallway. I wanted to take a walk and listen to his thrilling tales of adventure. He was a very talented storyteller. _

_"Princess, you've still work to do." The tutor was sitting at the table, waiting impatiently for my return. Upon hearing the tutor's words I shook my head and tired to pull Loki out of the room but he resisted. _

_"Father would be extremely upset if I took you away from your studies. Besides, Asgard can't have a dull Princess, can it?" Loki said through a smile. "You've got to go back to your work." _

_"I don't understand why I even have to study. All I will ever do is get married. You don't have to know much to marry whomever your father demands you to marry." I said stubbornly. At my words Loki's face softened and became a weird mixture of angry and sad, as if I had broken his heart._

_"There is always a need to learn. Books and writing can be your friends when you don't have anything else. You are useful for more than a chess piece, sister. Never forget that. You've got to go back to your work." He stroked my cheek with his thumb as he spoke. _

_"But, I want to spend the day with you," I said, sounding like the child I was. _

_"And so you shall," he said through a sly smile. He pulled me by the hand to the table where my tutor was still waiting. He pulled my chair out for me, and then settled into the chair next to mine._

_"Are you joining us, my Lord?" The tutor smiled a little at Loki. Loki had been his student before he started studying magic. _

_"Yes. If that's alright, of course." Loki looked a bit guilty for not asking him to join. Thor wouldn't have cared. _

_"Of course, your Majesty." The tutor nodded at Loki, and then returned his attention to me. "Princess, you've got to finish this story. You father will be displeased if you don't." He tapped the paper on the desk and I sighed. _

_"I've already told you, I've nothing to right about," I insisted. I pushed the paper away from me._

_"What are you supposed to be writing about?" Loki asked._

_"An adventure I've been on. I've never left the castle so how could I have had an adventure?" I said, deflated. _

_"What about the time the time you hid in the servants quarters and got lost?" Loki said. That certainly was an adventure. _

_The room suddenly went black, and then a bright white light appeared. _

_I was suddenly probably about thirteen, and I was sitting at the banquet table. Thor, my mother and father, Loki, and several other people were at the table, laughing and talking. I remember these dinners as being incredibly boring and I always got the panicked feeling of being trapped whenever I attended one. Loki, knowing very well how I was feeling, looked at me, smiled, and suddenly my fork that was laying on the napkin by my plate did a small dance causing me to smile. _

_"Try," Loki whispered when he leaned closer to me. He looked much older than he had looked in the room with the tutor._

_"I can't. I'll probably set the table on fire," I protested. I hadn't quite grasped many magical concepts yet, despite Loki's tutelage. _

_"You will do no such thing. Go on," he said. I closed my eyes, sighed and opened them again to see every fork at the table was raised in the air, doing the same silly dance. _

_"Loki!" my father thundered from the head of the table. "Enough is enough!" He was angry and embarrassed. _

_"Sorry, father. Just a bit of fun." Loki said, taking full responsibility for my mistake. _

_"We'll talk about this later," My father foreshadowed, and then went back to his conversations after he watched all the forks return to their owners. _

_I stayed still, horrified that Loki had been blamed. But just as I was about to tell my father that I had been the one who did it, Loki leaned over and whispered, "Almost," as he poked me in the side playfully. _

_Again the room went black and then lightened a bit. It was nighttime and I was probably about seventeen. In fact, I knew I was seventeen because I remember this night distinctly. _

_I ran through the halls of the castle barefoot and with only my nightgown and shawl on. My blonde hair whipped behind me, and my bare feet made strange noises on the marble floors. _

_"Get him to the healing room now!" I heard the booming voice of my father's from the entrance of the castle. I turned the corner and saw two soldiers holding up a bleeding Loki. _

_"Loki," I gasped and rushed to his side. _

_"Hello, sister," Loki said softly, trying hard to sound normal. But he winced with pain and his eyes drooped. I lifted a piece of torn armor and saw bleeding flesh. _

_"We had a glorious battle, sister. They groveled at our feet. How did you know we were returning?" Thor thundered all at once. He smiled like his brother wasn't on the brink of death. _

_"I saw the Bifrost open from my bedroom window. What happened to Loki?" I was too alarmed to be polite and congratulate Thor on winning the battle. Loki was wounded and that was all I could think about. _

_"I don't know, I wasn't paying much attention to him. Will you come with me and the Warriors Three? We are going to get a drink to celebrate our triumph!" Thor asked as he clapped the shoulder of the nearest in his small group of warriors. _

_"You must be joking." I squinted my eyes at him which caused him to shrug and walk out of the room booming with laughter._

_"Let's go!" I demanded the guards and regretted at once my harshness. "I apologize," I said as we raced down the hall with Loki. _

_"It's alright, Princess," one of the soldiers said. "Your brother fought gallantly." _

_"Yes, Thor is fond of battle." I rolled my eyes at Thor's war like temperament. _

_"Thor as well, but I was speaking of Loki. He saved Thor's life. That is how he sustained his injuries." We arrived at the healing room and I thanked the soldiers and sent them on their way. _

_I stayed with him while the healers did their work on Loki. It took hours, but finally I was laying on the wide bed next to Loki and straightened his bandage that would be useless in a few hours when his wound was completely healed. My cool finger tips against his bare skin must have woken up because only seconds later I felt his gaze on me. _

_"Brother," I said breathlessly. "I was so worried." _

_"Dear sister, you know I could never leave you." He smiled and winced. _

_"Stay still. You'll be healed in a few hours. But for now, you are still hurt. Stay still for once," I commanded him and he smiled. _

_"As you command, healer Ella." He smirked and I shook my head. He had almost died and yet he still had the energy to be playful. _

My head shot up from the passenger seat of the car. The dream still in my head.

"What's wrong?" Loki's voice asked from the driver's seat. I just looked at him when only alarmed him further with my silence and wide eyes. We had been _brother and sister._ And now I loved him. What kind of person was I? Or he even, who I'm fairly certain loved me? My heart felt like it was drowning and my breathing became shallow and rapid.

What was I supposed to do now? We were brother and sister, and better than that, best friends. We had grown up together, and I had so many feelings towards him. Then my father rips all of that away, and we became related no more. He could not take the memories from me though. We were married, but a happy love does not a marriage make. Why did I so suddenly feel like this? I guess I had always loved him, maybe not like this, but it was not a huge step forward. I felt dizzy and confused.

"Ella, what is wrong?" Loki demanded. I snapped out of my trance and saw that we were pulled over on the side of the road. We had been on our way to Chicago, us in our car, and Thor and Jane in Jane's van.

I was able to collect myself just enough to say, "It was just a bad dream, Loki. I'm fine." This had no affection at all in it. Just words that took the place of screaming in frustration. He looked at me like he was afraid.

"Ella," he said softly.

"Loki, I can't talk about it right now. I don't even know what to think about it myself." I summoned up all the happiness inside me to form a small smile to reassure him. "Really, it's nothing."

He didn't believe me, of that I was sure, but he nodded a little and started driving again, leaving me in silence to ponder the mass of thoughts banging around in my head.

Hours later, when was had arrived in Chicago and after we checked into a hotel where Thor grimaced when Loki introduced us as Mr. and Mrs. Loki Evans, we pulled up to a large building with a sign that said, Garden Gate Apartments.

"I have something for you," Loki said as he reached into his pocket. He pulled out a small box and handed it to me. I opened it and saw two rings; one with a large diamond and one a pretty silver band.

"We're married, right?" Loki said with a smile. "It's Earth's tradition to wear them on your left hand on this finger. He took my hand and slipped the rings on my finger. He then took out another ring from the breast pocket of his suit and slipped a silver band on his left hand finger. I marveled at how beautiful the rings looked on my hand, and thought about how it made us look. Like a real, not forced, married couple, I just hoped the people at the hotel didn't think that it was strange we weren't wearing them when we checked in.

He got out of the car, ran around to my side and helped me out. Thor and Jane had stayed at the hotel because Jane had some ideas of her own of where she would stay. Thor was undecided.

We walked to the front desk and were greeted by a man in a red jacket. "How may I help you?" he said politely.

"We're here to look at an apartment. We are meeting a Mrs. Striker at Apartment 501." Loki said nicely.

"The elevator is through there. It will be on your left," the man said helpfully as he pointed to a set of metal double doors.

"Thank you." Loki smiled and put his hand on my back to lead me to what the man had called the elevator. It was a machine that eliminated the need to use the stairs and I marveled at the ingenuity of the people of Earth. There was a certain charge in the air in the elevator. I was beginning to believe that we really loved each other, I began to believe that we could really have a life outside of Asgard, but my mind head went straight back to the dream.

"You must be Mr. and Mrs. Evans," a woman said while she smiled much too wide to be considered natural.

"Please, Loki, and this is my wife, Ella." He shook the woman's hand and gestured to me as he said my name. The woman took my hand and put the key into the door.

"You are going to love this apartment. This is a brand new building, so you are the first one's in the apartment. Everything is top of the line." She led us into the apartment. "This is the entry way, of course. This apartment has a huge coat closet right here." She opened two double doors near the front door to reveal a large closet.

"The floors are all hardwood, and the molding is just beautiful." She pointed first to the dark wood floor and then to the white molding and light grey walls. "The color difference really makes the molding pop, don't you think?" she asked me.

"Yes, ma'am." I said with a smile. Loki looked down at me and kissed the top of my head which caused the woman to smile.

"How long have you two been married?" she asked us as she led us further down the hallway.

"About a month," I lied, hoping that she wouldn't ask any further questions.

"That's so cute. My husband and I have been married for thirteen, but it feels like an eternity." She rolled her eyes and continued through the apartment. The entryway opened up to a "Living room" as the woman called it. The same floors, molding, and paint color were found in this room. In the living room were a set of white double doors that led to a large balcony. The view was incredible.

Off of the living room was a large kitchen.

"The kitchen is truly the pride and joy of this space. Stainless steel appliances, including a double oven, subway tile for the back splash, a deep sink, granite counter tops, a breakfast nook, wine cooler, and much, much more. This kitchen is to die for, really." It seemed she loved this apartment just as much as she wanted us too.

"In through here is the formal dining room. I know it seems old fashioned, but it's amazing if you have guests. Let's go to the bedrooms, why don't we?" She led us back through the kitchen and through another hallway. The guest room was a good size, according to Mrs. Striker, and the bathroom looked a lot like the kitchen. The master room was very large. It had a huge walk in closet, as I heard Mrs. Striker call it, and the master bathroom was expansive. There were two sink stations, a vanity, a soaking tub, a rainfall shower, and the essentials.

The apartment was beautiful. Loki must have thought the same because he went with the agent to the office of the building manager while I stayed in the apartment, looking around. Once he had left, I walked to the bathroom. I was shaking as I thought of the dream and of the feelings I had had the entire time we were looking at the apartment. I felt like this could be a real home for us. I felt the fear crept back in. I shook as I took the rings off of my fingers. They suddenly felt like they were burning me.

I put my hands on the sink and looked down. I tried to catch my breath, but I honestly felt like I was dying. "_Thor is going to hate me_," I thought. "_But I can't deny that I love Loki_." I stayed like that for a very long time until I heard the front door open. I slipped the rings back on, wiped my tears, and went to the living room.

"Lady Jane told me not to expect anything to happen today. Apparently it took her a month to get into her first apartment," I said surprised that he already had the keys.

"Lady Jane did not have the power of magic to assist in her quest." Loki smiled a mischievous smile which caused me to laugh despite my head being clouded with such intense thoughts.

"Our own home. A place no one can tell us what to do or when to do it." I said. I rubbed the kitchen counter and felt it's smooth cold surface under my fingertips. I wasn't being fake. I really was relieved that we had a place to call our own.

"Mrs. Striker was kind enough to give me the phone number of a good interior decorator who will do the work of setting up our home. I thought you would not want that task, " he said, almost looking afraid that I would be angry. Truthfully, I had no idea of what should go in the space, and the thought that the home would need furniture had completely escaped me before he mentioned it.

"I think not," I said, relieved that he had had the forethought to make arrangements. I kissed him on the cheek in thanks and he smiled.

"Well then, we've a meeting with her in a half hour downtown." He held his arm out for me to take as he led me out of the building and to the car.

* * *

"I don't know what we're going to do," Jane huffed from her bed in Thor and Jane's hotel room. Our original plan was to have a girls room and a guys room, but when Loki introduced us as husband and wife to the man who was going to book our rooms, he thought if he asked for two rooms with two beds each that it might look strange. So now I was hanging out in Thor and Jane's room while Thor and Loki were in Loki's and my room, discussing things.

"About what, Lady Jane?" I asked her as I brushed my hair out and smoothed my pajamas.

"Where am I going to stay? I really, really like Thor, but I don't know if we're there yet, to move in with each other," Jane said and stood up. She came over to the bed I was sitting on and plopped down next me.

"I am not the person to ask about this. Relationships and I are not friends at the moment," I sighed. I laid down next to her so that we were staring at the ceiling.

"How is that whole situation with Loki going?" Jane asked loudly. I shushed her.

"Whisper! I can't shield us because Loki will feel it and know something is going on," I said very seriously. She laughed.

"So it's not going well?" she asked after she collected herself.

"It's weird. That night when we were attacked, he came back into the bathroom to get me and I kissed him. It was a serious kiss, not like our wedding kiss or when we pretended to be all lovey dovey in my bedroom for Ava. And every once and awhile, I just kiss him and he lets me and kisses me back, but we never really talk about it. We talk about how, if Thor found out, he would kill him. We pretend so convincingly to be married, but I think I love him, and I think he loves me. But I had this dream about our childhood and it reminded me that until very recently, we thought we were brother and sister, and now, at least once a day, I can't help but kiss him." I sat up and put my hands on my head. "I just don't know," I sighed.

"It's okay, Ella. I think you love him, and that's okay." She sat up as well and arranged a bit of my hair. I closed my eyes. "You should probably tell him. He might have some insight to help you."

"Thor will kill him if he finds out." I was so frustrated at my dilemma.

"Well, there is that," Jane laughed. "Now that we've gotten absolutely nowhere with your problem, how about we discuss mine?"

The door to the hotel room opened and shut hard. Thor came into the room and looked weary.

"He is beyond reason," Thor yelled. He came into the room and stopped when he saw Jane and I sitting on the bed. I looked up, alarmed at his outburst.

"What's wrong, brother?" I asked him. He shook his head.

"This charade makes no sense and it isn't right," Thor thundered. "He cannot be persuaded to drop it."

"Have you hurt him?" I asked. When Thor used the word persuaded, I knew what he really meant. I stood up and walked closer to him.

"No, I-," he started but I left the room and went to the one Loki and I were sharing. Loki was sitting on the edge of the bed holding his head.

"Did he hurt you?" I asked as I rushed to him and took his head in my hands, so that I could examine it.

He smiled and rubbed my hand. "I'm fine, just tired. We should go to sleep, we've had a long day." He wearily smiled, took my hand and kissed it, and stood up to go to the washroom so that he could change into his pajamas.


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter Eight**

* * *

_"You have disobeyed me, Princess. And for this, you will be sorry," my father thundered, his eyes full of hate. I was back on Asgard, in the hall where I had been married to Loki. This time however, I was being held roughly, by each arm, by two guards. Loki was on his knees at the bottom of the stairs that led up to the throne. His hands were bound behind him, and he was cut and bruised. He looked down at the ground, his dark hair matted and bloody. _

_"Loki," I whispered, confused at what was happening. I tried to break free from the guards in vain. As soon as I said his name he looked up at me. He was afraid, more afraid than I could ever imagine him looking. _

_"Oh, no, Princess. You and Loki have disobeyed my orders. I am your King. I think you have forgotten that fact." My father was loud, so loud in fact, that the hall shook with his voice. I was desperate to break free, but the harder I fought, the harder the guards held me. "He will die in front of you, and then you will marry another Jotun prince of my choosing. This is your punishment for fleeing." _

_A guard next to Loki kicked him hard in the gut causing him to whimper. _

_"Loki!" I screamed and he looked up at me, not scared anymore, just sad. "Father, please, no! I am begging you!" I screamed, but Odin shook his head with a smile and waved at the guard who unsheathed his sword. "No!" I managed to pull away from the guards for a moment. They must have been distracted by my scream, but as soon as I was able to get free, a strong hand grabbed my hair and banged my head against the marble wall next to me. My mouth was bleeding and my head was pounding with intense pain. _

_I looked up at my father who only smiled back down at me. It was a cruel smile that brought tears to my already brimming eyes. My mother stood behind him, but instead of cruel she looked sad. _

_My father nodded to the guard who nodded at his king. Moments later, the guard thrust the sword through Loki's back and it came out his front. He didn't make a sound as he looked down at his chest and saw the end of the sword protruding from it. He looked up at me and I fell to my knees and cried as I saw the light go out of his once bright eyes. When his body went limp, the guard yanked the sword out of him and let him fall in a heap on the ground. _

_I was suddenly free, and my only thought was to get to him. I fell at his side and cradled his head in my hands. I felt the warm blood soak through my dress, which I now realized was my wedding dress, and cover my arms. _

_"Loki!" I screamed in vain as I turned his head so that I could see it. I looked up at my father and shook my head in astonishment that he had done this. He only shook his head and turned to walk out of the room. I could not look at him for another moment. "Loki," I cried, my heart full of pain. "Loki!" I beat on his chest to try to wake him, but he only lay there limp and unmoving. _

"I'm here." I heard a soft voice in my ear. I opened my eyes and found that I was in the hotel room with Loki. He was above the covers with a blue blanket covering him, and I was under the heavy quilt and comforter that adorned the large bed.

I relaxed a bit when I saw him, free from cuts and bruises, and most importantly, alive. I was crying and shaking, but I managed to cup his face with my hand and close my eyes. I then opened them to see him staring at me, like he was afraid I might break. Suddenly, I kissed him, because I wanted to know that he was real. He kissed me back, lightly at first and then deeper, so that by the time he pulled away I was out of breath.

"He killed you," I told him. I ignored how easy it was to transition between kissing him and talking, I was just so relieved that he was here. He readjusted himself so that he could put his arm around me while I told him of the dream. "They beat you in front of me, and then Father-" I stopped for a moment to gather myself. "Father had you killed. You died staring at me." I snuggled up closer to him and his hand went to my head, and played with my hair. I rested my head on his shoulder and wiped my eyes. "You gave me visions when you were teaching me about Earth. Is it possible that Father is having someone give me dreams even if he doesn't know where we are?" I wanted an explanation of why this had happened; why my already confused mind needed to be tortured further.

"He's your father, so maybe he's got a connection to you that even I cannot protect you from. I know, however, that he cannot find you. I promise." He kissed the side of my head as I breathed raggedly. I was trying to calm myself, but it wasn't working. "Hey, breathe," he whispered into my hair. I breathed slowly and he cooed, "there's a good girl."

We sat there like that for what felt like hours, and I became so tired, but unwilling to go back to the dream. Loki sat up with me the entire time, playing with my blonde curls and rubbing his thumb over the top of my hand that he was holding.

"I think I love you," I said groggily. I was thinking it at first, but it didn't stay in my mind as I had meant for it too. The clouds in my mind cleared for a moment when I said this, like it was letting me know that it was true. He stopped playing with my hair, turned my head around to face him and kissed me.

"Never doubt that I love you," he whispered. "No matter what happens, never doubt that.

* * *

I woke up the next day and knew that it was later than I usually awakened. The light from outside was very bright and harsh even through the thick navy curtains that hung from the windows. I turned around to face the windows and saw Loki laying there, staring at the ceiling. Last night, though horrifying, had been a moment of clarity for me, and that was almost all I could think about. Upon feeling me turn around, Loki turned to face me and smiled in my direction.

"Hello there," he said as he pulled a piece of hair from my eyes and laid it with the rest of my hair.

"Hi," was all I said back to him. I was drowsy and my head hurt a little from all the crying last night.

"How did you sleep?" He rested the back of his hand on my cheek affectionately.

"Very well, at least though the latter half of the night." I closed my eyes and breathed in deeply the clean, cool air of the hotel room. This was the most peace that I had felt since the coronation, and I wanted to enjoy it.

"I have to go meet a friend today." He looked as if he needed to get up, but every fiber of him wanted to stay here.

"Who?" I asked. I was puzzled at who he would be going to meet.

"A friend that I studied with. I've a few questions to ask him about your dreams." He stood up, walked drowsily to the closet, and took out a pair of slacks, a button up shirt and navy sweater.

I sat up quickly when I heard of his plans. "A friend from Asgard? Loki, that's insane. If your friend betrays you, Odin can come here very quickly to take you." Worry did not begin to explain my feelings in that moment. It was a pity that the peace from just moments ago could not have lasted for longer.

"Ella, I promise, he will not call Odin. He himself, was cast out by the Allfather. He surely won't be helping him." He went to the washroom to change clothing and when he returned he looked rather dashing.

"You can imagine, in light of the night that I've just had, why I am extremely worried about this." My right hand went instinctively to the rings on my left hand, and spun them around my finger.

Loki, upon seeing this, walked the short distance between us and took hold of my hands. "You are not to worry about me. Do you understand?" I nodded and he smiled. "There's a good girl. Besides, I won't be gone long. When I get back, we'll go to dinner. How does that sound?"

When I nodded, he kissed me on the forehead, and went to the door, leaving me standing by the bed alone. I laughed when he looked back and made a funny face before he went out into the hall and shut the door behind him.

* * *

It was eight 'o clock that night and I was beyond worried. Loki was always punctual, and though he never had given me a time he would be back, he insinuated that it would have been much sooner than now.

"Loki," I said into my cell phone, while I paced the space between the bed and the small table in the corner of the room. "I'm not trying to bother you or anything, but I'm worried. Please, just give me a call when you can to let me know you're okay." I stopped pacing when I got to the end of the sentence, "Please, Loki," I finished, and then threw the phone onto the bed which I had meticulously made about two hours ago when I was bored to tears. As soon as the phone was out of my hands, I started playing with the rings on my left hand, which I had noticed had become quite the habit over the course of the day.

I stopped in my tracks when I heard a light knocking from the room door. I knew that it wasn't Loki, he wouldn't have knocked on the door before coming in. I had told Thor that I was too tired to go to dinner when he had knocked a hour earlier, and I avoided his inquires of where Loki was, so there was only one other person I could think of who would be at the door.

"Hey," Jane said when I opened the door. I wordlessly turned around and walked to the bed area and resumed my pacing. Jane followed and sat at the table. "What's wrong?" She seemed alarmed at my behavior and I sighed, knowing that if I were to talk to anyone about this, it should be her. Thor will jump to conclusions much too quickly, and I was not emotionally ready for that just yet.

"Loki went to see a friend a little after noon today, and he's still not back. I've called and left a message, but he won't answer or call me back." I was still pacing and playing with my rings.

"He's probably just having fun, Ella," Jane said, and it sounded like she thought I was being terribly controlling.

"He doesn't have Earth friends, Jane. He has Asgardian friends who live on Earth. Those Asgardian friends are tied to their king, to whom they are bound to report back as well. If his friend betrayed him and told my father of his arrival, Loki could be back on Asgard, this moment, being tortured." I paced faster and felt sheer panic as I progressed through my speech.

"You need to calm down," Jane said as she stood up and walked to where I was pacing. She took me by the shoulders and made me stop. Her eyes bore into mine and I softened.

"I told him I loved him," I said as I closed my eyes. I felt her hand tighten on my shoulder in understanding.

"He's fine. You would feel that he's in trouble, wouldn't you?" she asked, and I knew that it was true. I could not, however, shake this feeling of sadness and dread. "Maybe you should sit down." She pushed me lightly onto the edge of the bed and sat next to me like a mother would sit down beside her upset child.

I sat there in a daze, remembering the fear from the night that we were attacked on Earth by the Asgardian agent. This fear was much worse, because I didn't know what had happened.

I curled up in a ball on the bed and Jane sat in the corner waiting with me. My phone was on the loudest setting you could have it on the table beside me, and I listened carefully for footsteps in the hallway, or any scratching at the door.

It was ten by the time the door opened and Loki appeared in the room. An overwhelming sense of relief washed over me, and I walked over to hug him. I crashed into him like a wave, and he stepped back from my momentum, but he held onto me tightly. I was not embarrassed that Jane saw this piece of affection.

"I'm sorry I didn't call back," he apologized, but didn't offer any explantation of why he couldn't. His only action was a quick glance at Jane.

"I'll let you two talk. I'm glad you are okay," Jane said when she saw Loki's glance. She smiled at me and nodded to Loki. He nodded back and watched her leave.

"What happened?" I asked him as soon as she left. He kissed my cheek and let me go. I sat back on the bed and watched him take his pullover off.

"I went to visit my friend, and his advice was not encouraging." He said this like he was given some sort of death sentence.

"What did he say?" I asked. I had known this man since I was born, and I knew at this moment he was more angry than I had ever seen him. He was trying his best to hide it from me, though. "Loki," I said after he didn't answer me. "What did he say?"

"He said that Odin is sending you the dreams, and no shield that I can concoct can save you from them." He said this slowly and thickly, like it was poison in his mouth. His eyes though, were not angry. They were guilty, so full with guilt that my heart hurt for him. "He says that I should take you back, beg the Allfather for forgiveness, and take my punishment."

"That is out of the question, Loki. He will kill you, and that is not acceptable at all. I can deal with the dreams. I know they are coming now, they won't hit me so hard next time," I pleaded with him because I was so afraid that doubt was seeping into his mind.

Then, suddenly, he punched the wall in frustration. I jumped at the sheer force with which he hit the wall, and his back shuttered with a ragged breath. He pulled his hand away from the wall and revealed a large hole. I moved quickly to where he was standing and took his bleeding hand into my own.

I pulled him to the washroom without a word and turned the faucet on. Once the water had gotten to a lukewarm temperature, I moved his hand underneath it. He watched me as I washed away the bits of drywall that were stuck into the cuts and the blood that covered his hand. Loki could have easily mended it himself with magic, or I could have for that matter, but it felt good tending to him, and I think he felt the same love that came from my care.

Once the water had washed away any remnants from the outburst, I softly dried his hand off with a crisp white towel. I smiled when I watched the cuts heal before my eyes, and I knew that he was just showing off now.

"You can't protect me from everything, Loki. No matter how hard you try, it's simply not possible. I do love the fact that you try so hard." I looked at him seriously, and I saw that every bit of anger had drained from him, it had now been replaced with defeat. "Don't look defeated. He can't hurt me with dreams, silly."

He shook his head. We then sat on the bed until two 'o clock in the morning, watching television and laughing despite their terrible nature. Contentment seemed to seep into his words for a moment, but as soon as the lights went out he wrapped his arms around me, as if to protect me from a monster that was lurking in the closet.

* * *

_I woke up with a pounding head, and my vision was blurry. I was slumped forward and the only thing I could see almost clearly was the trail of blood coming from my mouth, staining the white fabric of my dress. I felt pain from every fiber of my being, but mostly I felt fear._

_"What?" I breathed as my vision returned and I saw that I was bound to a gold chair that felt out of place in such a dismal place. I was never allowed to go to the prison, forgotten in the depths of Asgard, but this is what I had always imagined it would look and feel like. It felt like all the joy had been taken from the world and the loneliness that was present here was almost overpowering. It was cold and forbidding of hope. _

_I was wearing an Asgardian dress. It was my wedding gown that I remember tossing to the side with no regard after my wedding. Now there was thick blood running down the front of it; some dried, some fresh. It was cut in several places, and I inferred that I had been beaten._

_"Good, you are awake. I was beginning to think that we were too rough with you," said a familiar dark voice from the other side of the large dark room made of stone. It stunk of stagnant water and mold. I could hear the drips of water coming from the ceiling. I tried to focus on the voice to keep from passing out, but it just echoed across the cavern and made my head dizzy. _

_"How are you feeling, Princess?" The voice was my father's. I saw his stocky figure appear in front of me. I refused to say anything, knowing it was my best bet at making it through this, but it was almost as slim as the wing of a butterfly._

_"Still not speaking, eh, Princess? We can change that. I few more hours and you will be begging for death." He said this softly into my ear, but it felt like a knife to my brain. I could take anything he dished out; pain had never been a big deal to me, but I shuttered at the thought of what else he might have in store to punish me with. I closed my eyes and breathed through the punches from the guard who accompanied my father.. It lasted six or seven blows, and when it was over, I let the blood run thickly from my mouth. My head was down, but my eyes were looking up and staring into my father's._

_"Plan B," he said simply. As soon as he spoke the words, two guards dragged a weak but fighting Loki into the dungeon. "We will see how strong your will really is, little princess." _

_"Loki," I whispered quietly, my eyes wide with terror. His hands were bound behind him, and he was beaten severally. When they stopped dragging him, they forced him to his knees only ten feet away from me. He looked like he was having a difficult time keeping his balance, and his head hung low. "No," I whispered, louder this time. Loki lifted his head towards me. He looked guilty and full of sadness. _

_"So she does speak!" My father's triumphant voice echoed through the room. He held his arms outstretched. "Let's see how much you can say, shall we?"_

_He waved to the guards, who upon his signal, starting beating Loki mercilessly. I stayed quiet and tried to stifle the cries that were fighting to burst out of my throat. Occasionally, Loki would be able to look up to me and shake his head, as if to urge me not to say anything._

_"You have fled like a bird from a nest. You belong here to do my bidding," Odin hissed through gritted teeth. I closed my eyes and breathed deeply. "Do you see what your disobedience has done?" _

_"This can't be real," I thought. "It can't be. It must be a dream, a dream my father has sent to me. Loki is fine, he's next to me." These words, however, did nothing to calm my fears._

_"I want to know where you are! Tell me where you are!" the Allfather thundered. His face turned red, and his one eye looked furiousl. His muscles were clenched with fury, far more fury than any one man should be capable of having._

_Terrified, I kept my silence, and as I did, Odin grew even more irate. "Fine then, I will make you speak." He nodded again to the guards. They cut Loki's binds, and rolled the sleeves of Loki's dress uniform up to his elbows. Then another guard pulled out a small knife from his sleeve and slowly and deliberately cut deep into the underside of Loki's arms. He bled furiously, and the fear and pain in his eyes could only be matched by my own. I had heard of this happening; bleeding someone dry to kill them. I thought it was just a scary story to tell at parties, not something that really happened._

_"Please father, don't do this," I pleaded with Odin, but he shook his head with contempt._

_"The only way to save him is to tell me where you are. I will be lenient. I will not kill you, but you must do as I tell you. You have an obligation." He said this almost calmly. "You can still save him. Just tell me where you are!" _

_I didn't say anything as I watched the blood flow out of Loki. I tried to break free, but the binds were tight. Loki's eyes never left mine. They were strong and unwavering, as if he was willing me to stay strong._

_"As you wish," Odin said and the binds that held me disappeared. I fell next to Loki, and ignored the blood that was everywhere. He slumped over onto me out of exhaustion and blood loss while I tried in vain to stop the bleeding._

_"Loki, stay with me, please," I willed him and I pressed the hem of my dress on his wounds, but the blood just seeped through the fabric mixing with my own. "What do I do?" I felt my eyes well with tears from fear and frustration at my failed attempts to save him._

_"I've lost too much blood," he mumbled. His eyes were drooping, and he was growing cold._

_"No," I begged him. "No, I can try to heal you." I put my hands over his cuts and tried my best to heal him, but nothing happened._

_"Magic doesn't work down here, love." Loki chuckled a bit and winced from the pain. My cries had became desperate and agonizing as I realized there was nothing I could do for him but stay with him._

_"Please, don't leave me. You are all I have left." I cupped his face in my hand and he rested his forehead on mine._

_"I love you, Ella, wife and friend of Loki. I could not have asked for a better life than the short one I had with you." His words were almost indistinguishable, but I understood them and each and every one of them pierced my heart like the knife that had caused his death._

_"I love you, too." I cried and kissed him lightly, a kiss that he reciprocated. We stayed like that for a moment longer until the light disappeared from Loki's eyes and his body completely slumped onto my side._

I woke up crying in a dark room, lit only by a dim light from outside and the clock from the bedside table that read 1:04 a.m.

"Hey," Loki said. He was sitting up beside me, awake and ready. He pulled me onto his lap and wrapped his arms around me. I curled up in his arms and cried furiously into his chest. He just sat there and let me cry while stroking my head.

It had been a week since Loki's friend had given him the news that he couldn't shield me from the dreams. I had done my best to hide them from Loki, but tonight I was unable to. They were getting more and more real every night, to the point where I was afraid to go to sleep.

"Shh, it's okay," he whispered into my ear. This had been the worst one yet; I could still feel his blood covering me, I could still see his cold, lifeless eyes. I had tried so desperately to hide this from him; he felt guilty enough about it already. "You've got to show them to me," he said.

"What?" I asked him, alarmed he would even ask such a thing. I pulled away from his chest a little so that I could look at his face.

"I have to know what he's saying, what he's doing. If he wants to know something, I need to know what it is." He put his hand on the side of my face and touched his forehead to mine.

I did not want to live through that again, and I surely did not want him to see himself die. "You know," I started, "I wasn't sure that I loved you before now." I said it quickly because the thought came to me quickly and without warning.

He tilted his head to one side and my breathing calmed. A sudden peace fell over me like a fog. When I spoke, I didn't think, I just said what I was feeling. "I loved you, obviously, but not like a wife. But as I've been having these dreams of you dying for a week I get so upset. I have realized that I can't lose you, Loki, because I love you. I never want to be away from you, and I never want to hurt you or cause you any pain at all. I would rather die than see you hurt. That is why I can't show you the dream, because it will hurt you."

He seemed relieved at my confession that I was still wondering at. "I have known this since we arrived on Earth and especially since the night of the attack at Jane's lab. The dream in the car, your quiet looks, and the way you act when Thor talks about his disdain for our new situation; this all told me that you were confused about your feelings, maybe even a little ashamed. Are you quite sure that you've decided to love me?"

"I've actually never been more sure of anything in my life. I don't think that was a decision that I had to make. It's just there, in my heart." I knew that every word I said was true, because that foggy feeling that had taken a hold of my head for the past couple weeks was gone. I could think clearly, and all I wanted to think about was him.

"You've got to trust me then. I need to see the dream, Ella. Please, show it to me." He took ahold of my hands and I conceded.

I pulled my hands away and hesitantly put them on either side of his head and took a deep breath.

"Focus, Ella, on the dream." He put his hand on my leg and closed his eyes, clearly focusing on receiving the dream.

Suddenly I was tied to the chair and my father was yelling at me once again. I could feel the blows from the guards and a sensation on my leg, which I knew was Loki's reaction to it all. The dream played out like I remembered. I screamed at the same parts and I cried when he died in my arms.

When the dream was over, I let go of Loki's head like it was burning my hands. He took me and pulled me closer. I saw tears running down his face, not a common feature for him.

"I'm so sorry," he whispered, clearly grief stricken. We stayed like that for a long time. He sat there, with me curled up beside him, while both of us tried to forget what we just saw.


End file.
